Entertainment Theater Beanie Feldstein Announces Brief 'Funny Girl' Hiatus Due to Tonsillitis Ahead of Her Final Weeks Earlier this month, Beanie Feldstein revealed she'd be playing her final performance as Fanny Brice July 31 before Lea Michele joins the Broadway production in September By Glenn Garner Glenn Garner Instagram Twitter Glenn Garner is a Writer/Reporter who works heavily with PEOPLE's Movies and TV verticals. Since graduating from Northern Arizona University with a dual major in journalism and photography, he got his professional start at OUT Magazine, The Advocate and Teen Vogue, and he's since consistently kept his finger on the pulse of the LGBTQ community. His first book The Guncle Guide was released in 2020 and was featured on Katie Couric's list of 100 recommended books of the year. People Editorial Guidelines Published on July 15, 2022 07:26 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Beanie Feldstein announced Friday that she has tonsillitis. The Golden Globe nominee, 29, shared on Instagram that she will have to miss some performances of Broadway's Funny Girl this weekend, following the news of her early departure from the show. "Hey everybody, I'm just checking in. What have I missed? What's been going on?" Feldstein prefaced the clip, appearing to reference the chatter around her earlier-than-expected exit and Lea Michele's casting as Fanny Brice. Funny Girl Producers Set the Record Straight on Beanie Feldstein's Exit as Lea Michele Steps In "I'll start. I just got back from the ear, nose and throat doctor, who told me that I have tonsillitis, which is extremely contagious," she explained. "And she cannot allow me to go back onstage through the weekend until I have enough antibiotics in my system to not be contagious anymore. "The last thing I would want on this earth is to get the people that I love sick, and I just am not allowed to go onstage through the weekend. I cannot wait to do my last two weeks... and, you just gotta laugh at a certain point. When it rains, it pours on your old pal Bean," Feldstein added. The actress previously had to miss several performances, including when she tested positive for COVID-19 last month, during which her standby Julie Benko stepped in. After Feldstein was announced last year to take the lead in the first Broadway revival of Funny Girl since the original premiered in 1964, she debuted in the role (which was originated by Barbra Streisand) in March. The production had its highly anticipated opening night in April but was met with mixed reviews and only received one nomination at the 75th Tony Awards. Producers previously announced that Feldstein and costar Jane Lynch would be leaving the show on Sept. 25. However, on Sunday, Feldstein announced that her last performance would be July 31 after the "production decided to take the show in a different direction," she wrote Sunday on Instagram. Bruce Glikas/WireImage The next day, producers announced that Michele, 35, will take over in the starring role in September. Though rumors swirled that Feldstein had caught the production team off guard by announcing her new exit date via her social media, Funny Girl producers and the actress' rep exclusively told PEOPLE Wednesday that the exit plan was mutually agreed upon. In a joint statement to PEOPLE, they said: "The producers of Funny Girl were not blindsided by Beanie's social post. The producers decided to take the show in a different direction and end Beanie's contract on September 25th, 6 months earlier than anticipated." RELATED VIDEO: Lea Michele Will Join Broadway's Funny Girl as Fanny Brice After Beanie Feldstein's Early Exit "A month after that decision, Beanie decided it was best for her to leave on July 31st. The producers were aware of and in support of her decision. The producers and Beanie worked on this together professionally, respectfully and graciously," they added. Michele will take over the role of Fanny Brice in Broadway's revival of Funny Girl on Sept. 6.