Beanie Feldstein was "basically fired" from Broadway's "Funny Girl" just before she "blindsided" producers in announcing her upcoming departure from the show, according to Page Six.
It's the classic you-can't-fire-me-I-quit scenario.
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"Once the production decided to take the show in a different direction, I made the extremely difficult decision to step away sooner than anticipated," the actress said on social media on Sunday, July 10. "I will never forget this experience and from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank every single person who came to the August Wilson for the love and support you have shown me and our amazing cast and crew."
That "different direction" was "Glee" alum Lea Michele, who is set to replace Beanie.
Beanie's run on "Funny Girl" was often hampered by poor reviews and low ticket sales, industry reports claim. Largely because of this, "producers basically fired her," a source told the New York Post's gossip section.
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When Beanie made her seemingly-sudden announcement, producers were caught off guard and given only 30 minutes of heads up, one source said, claiming, "The social media post was her quitting after being fired." However, a different source insists that producers knew in advance the social media message was coming and even approved the language.
Another insider said Beanie feels "betrayed."
"The entire creative team built a brand around a new type of Fanny for a new generation. Now, they've turned on her and kind of points fingers at her like she's the reason the show isn't working," the insider continued. "Beanie feels attacked by everyone around her. She's like, 'You brought me here in the first place!'"