"Now You Watch Your Mouth, Watch Your Mouth, Miss Lea Michele! Cause We Don't Take That Tone From Some Former TV Diva!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                                  Indeed.  The "Funny Girl" saga continues, and will do so, as long as the production is running at the August Wilson Theatre. Whose future I question.

                                   I hope that when Lea walks into the August Wilson for the first time, one of the cast or crew walks up to her, and says that "Dreamgirls" paraphrase above, then smacks her across the face.  This to let her know she is NOT, as she thinks, the new BARBRA, nor Broadway's Queen Bee.  And if that does not work, and Lea continues with her reputed viciousness, you can bet Miss Tovah Feldshuh will take her aside, and read her the riot act.

                                      All of which makes me worried about the show.  Lea, after all the bad publicity, needs this career boost badly, and if she fails, that finishes her, professionally.  I have no doubt she can sing the score, but can she sustain eight shows a week?  Excuse me; already they are running into trouble because Lea, once signed, demanded two nights off a week.  Who the hell does she think she is?  The producers capitulated to one night off, Thursday, which is when Julie Benko will go on.  I can almost guarantee Lea will give Julie the Margo Channing treatment, which is a joke because Benko has such a stronger grasp on the show, having done it so many times, it begs the question why she was not given the role in the first place.  Remember, this is a story about a girl from nowhere who gets somewhere, and, with BARBRA, the stories were parallel.  The same could have been done with Julie's casting, but who cares about art, anymore?  So, Miss Lea, you had better damn well measure up, onstage and off, or this will be the final nail in your career coffin, darling!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                       Now, about Jane Lynch.  First, she was leaving September 25, like Beanie.  Then Beanie came forth with her message that she was leaving July 31, and now the producers are scrambling to cover their asses, trying to say they were not blindsided, that they knew this all along, when they really did not.  As for Jane, I am sure when she heard Lea was coming on board, she wanted no part of that, after years of "Glee."  But now the spin is she is leaving, not July 31, but September 4, which means when David and I go to see it, on August 27, we will see Jane in the role of Mrs. Brice.

                                         Or will we?  Because today I read in some pieces that Jane is still leaving with Beanie, while others say September 4!  What is going on, "Funny Girl" people--producers and publicists?  Why all the hush, hush, surrounding every move made during this production?  And no Original Cast Album of this show?  Or will Lea do it?

                                            The rumor flies that Lea was a done deal, a week after the TONY Awards, and I believe it.  Another source says one unnamed producer, who I admire, wanted to let Beanie go, after the reviews.  Only Big Mama Sonia Friedman did not have the heart to fire Beanie.  And look what happened?

                                              One thing can be said for Lea.  With director Michael Mayer being gay and married, she did not have to go under the restaurant table and blow him, like Anatole Litvak did to Paulette Goddard in the 1940's, at either The Brown Derby, or Chasen's.  But then, this is someone who showed Jonathan Groff her vagina during at least one performance of "Spring Awakening," and Groff was disgusted.  Who can blame him?  I don't want to see Lea's thing!  I would have gone to the Equity Deputy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                               I wonder who the deputy is on this show?  I have a feeling he or she will be working overtime, once Lea arrives.

                                                But that will not be till September, and I promise a full report of the August 27 performance we see.

                                                 As I said, the saga will continue.  Remember what Olympia Dukakis said in "Moonstruck--"

                                                 "It isn't over, till it's over."