If you haven’t heard that Lea Michele is playing the role of Fanny Brice in Funny Girl on Broadway, then I don’t know what rock you’ve been living under. Broadway news rarely transcends the theater world, but this announcement has blown up the entertainment news cycle as real life and television have become one. For six seasons of Glee, audiences watched Rachel Berry idolize and eventually play the titular role of Fanny Brice on Broadway in a plot line inspired by Michele’s real desire for the part. Beginning September 6th, those same audiences can watch Lea Michele become Fanny Brice IRL. It’s all very meta.
Michele wrote of the news on Instagram, “A dream come true is an understatement,” but for some involved in the show’s production, the whole thing has been a nightmare. As a self-proclaimed theater-kid-who-can’t-sing and a Lea Michele fanatic, I have been following this chaos since the moment the revival was announced. But for those whose hobbies do not include scrolling through theater Twitter for hours, here’s the tea that’s tearing through midtown Manhattan.
This dramatic tale could begin in the early 2000s, but the easiest place to start would be the announcement of the Funny Girl revival starring Beanie Feldstein this past August. The musical, which tells the story of Jewish actress Fanny Brice’s journey to fame, originally starred Barbra Streisand in the 1964 Broadway production and 1968 film. Feldstein, known for her performance as Monica Lewinsky in American Crime Story: Impeachment in addition to significant roles in Lady Bird, Booksmart, and Hello, Dolly! on Broadway, said in a statement that her casting was a “lifelong dream come true”.
As Feldstein was celebrating her new job, the internet only thought of one person: Lea Michele. She has made her desire to play Fanny Brice obvious for the past 13 years, singing several songs from Funny Girl and idolizing Barbra Streisand while playing Rachel Berry on Glee; performing the musical’s iconic tune “Don’t Rain on My Parade” at the 2012 Tony Awards; honoring Streisand at various events; and even writing about her love for both Babs and Funny Girl in her book, Brunette Ambition. Given this connection, Michelle was trending on Twitter the day Beanie Feldstein’s casting was announced with users either laughing or crying at Michele’s snub.
The Funny Girl revival opened on Broadway this April, and the reviews were harsh. The New York Times wrote that “You root for [Feldstein] to raise the roof, but she only bumps against it a little. Her voice, though solid and sweet and clear, is not well suited to the music.” For an iconic lead role with such a famous predecessor, Feldstein had big shoes to fill. To top it all off, Funny Girl was essentially shut out of the Tony Awards. It received a singular Tony nomination for supporting actor Jared Grimes’ performance while other Broadway revivals received between five and ten. Beanie was also missing performances, and when she was there, she was singing to an audience barely over half full.
At this point, everything at Funny Girl is heading downhill. Basically no Tony nominations, bad reviews, and low ticket sales. At the same time, something interesting is occurring elsewhere: Lea Michele is rebranding and reviving. She starred in the anniversary performance, documentary, and Tony Awards number celebrating the 15th anniversary of Spring Awakening, the show that brought her big break. Michele is also embarking on a small solo tour throughout the country this month. But why exactly do I call this a comeback? In June 2020, Michele received backlash over allegations of problematic behavior on set. After she Tweeted in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, Glee castmate Samantha Ware called out her toxic on-set behavior. This sparked several diva-like accusations against Michele from co-workers. Michele later apologized and then focused attention on the birth of her first baby.
So, what happened next? On June 15th, Feldstein announced she would be stepping away from Funny Girl in mid-September, six months before her contract was supposed to end. Everyone — well, mostly myself and theater Twitter — started speculating that Lea Michele would take her place. A week later, Gawker dropped a bombshell article reporting that an inside source confirmed the replacement rumors. Adding to the chaos, Michele and Feldstein share an agent.
For about a month after the first chaotic Funny Girl news cycle, everything seemed relatively calm. That all changed last week when Beanie posted a new statement saying she would actually be departing the role on July 31 after “the production decided to take the show in a different direction.” Less than 24 hours later, Lea Michele was officially revealed as Broadway’s new Fanny Brice.
The casting announcement elicited mixed reactions. On one hand, cast members, including Jane Lynch, congratulated Michele on the role. While on the other, many are taking to social media to lament the decision, noting that Michele should be held accountable for her past behaviors. Samantha Ware, who initially accused Michele of bullying, tweeted that “silence is complicity” after the news broke. The strongest reaction, though, came from audience members as ticket prices skyrocketed. Funny Girl is now the number one event on ticket vendor SeatGeek’s platform with costs ranging from $600 to $2,500. Meanwhile, tickets cost an average of $69 for the remainder of Feldstein’s run.
Michele will begin her job on September 6th with current standby Julie Benko taking on the role until then and every Thursday after. Emmy and Tony nominee Tovah Feldshuh will also replace Jane Lynch as Mrs. Brice (I know, Gleeks, it would have been a dream to have Rachel and Sue together on stage again).
And that’s what you missed on Glee.
Images: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for alice + olivia; Bruce Glikas/WireImage
Every once in a while, a story comes along that is so touching, so inspirational, so beautiful that it makes you stop and think about how you view the world. Dear Evan Hansen, as it turns out, is not that story, though scores of obsessed fans of the Broadway show could’ve had me fooled. If you’re unfamiliar, here’s a brief rundown of the actual plot of this real story that someone thought was a good idea (spoiler alert, but who really cares?): After Troubled Teen™ Connor Murphy takes his own life, friendless Evan Hansen claims that he was the subject of Connor’s suicide note, and constructs an entire web of lies to pretend he was secretly best friends with Connor. He grows close with the Murphy family and starts dating Connor’s sister Zoe, whom he had a crush on before any of this started. Inevitably, this doesn’t end well.
So there you have it—an inspirational story about how you can lie your way to a new life in 12 easy steps! Before the movie even premiered, it was being maligned for the nepotism-fueled casting of its lead character, but watching it, I felt extremely uncomfortable,, and not just because I got rained on on the way to the theater. If you want to see it, I’d recommend bringing a flask or an edible, but be warned: it’s a bumpy ride. Here are some of my lingering questions after seeing the musical misfire of the season.
Why Does He Look Like That?
By now, we’ve all heard the complaints that Ben Platt looks too old to be playing a high schooler, and while I certainly don’t disagree, there’s something else even more upsetting about his physical appearance. Simply put, he looks like an embalmed corpse. Somewhere in the process of trying to make him look younger, they landed on a gray-ish skin tone and sweaty sheen that’s really not doing him any favors. No one else in the cast suffers from the undead filter, but it’s particularly noticeable in Platt’s scenes with Amandla Stenberg, whose makeup is like, a little too flawless at all times. Has no one involved with this movie ever seen a teenager?
How Does The Speech Go Viral?
One of the movie’s most baffling sequences is when Evan’s speech at the memorial for Connor ends up online and goes extremely viral, racking up millions of views and bringing in thousands of dollars for the Connor Project. But here’s the thing. In the movie, the speech takes the form of “You Will Be Found,” easily one of the best songs in the score—but the song doesn’t actually happen in the real world. Instead, we’re supposed to believe that Evan fell in the middle of the stage, then stood up and delivered a spoken performance powerful enough to get the attention of people around the world? No, I refuse to believe it. In the real world, this might have gone “viral” in a local moms Facebook group, but that’s about it.
What Are Amy Adams & Julianne Moore Doing Here?
Once upon a time, I guess this was supposed to be a movie with awards buzz, but those days are long past, and this movie’s cast feels like a wasteland of people whose agents told them this would be a slam dunk. Why else would Oscar winner Julianne Moore sign up for a minor role as a tired mom whose only semi-standout moment is a song where she says “truck” half a dozen times? And God bless Amy Adams, because she really tries her best here, but combine this with other recent misfires Hillbilly Elegy and The Woman in the Window, and you have to wonder what’s happening. The woman has six Oscar nominations, let her burst free from this mediocrity!
Where Are The Consequences?
Evan can’t keep the plates spinning forever, and after Alana posts the fake suicide note, he finally comes clean about the fact that he’s been pathologically lying for months. Obviously, Connor’s family is upset, and Evan’s relationship with Zoe (which is built on lies, remember) hits the rocks. But as for any tangible consequences, those don’t really happen. Evan goes back to being unpopular at school, but we never even get the satisfaction of Alana confronting him over his betrayal. He takes a gap year before college, but there’s no inkling that colleges might actually have an issue with this whole situation. And honestly, I feel like the police would have had some questions for Evan, considering he raised $100,000 based on a fraudulent campaign of lies. But hey, I’m sure eating lunch alone for the last week of senior year was rough, too.
Image: VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images
I’m “I had The Facebook when it first came out” years old, which is to say I’m an “older millennial.” Suffice it to say, I was a late Instagram bloomer and only joined Twitter in order to check up on my favorite Broadway musicals and their actors. Thus, it is only fitting that the world of musical theatre is what brought me to TikTok several months into the pandemic that universalized the social media platform.
It started with Grocery Store: The Musical, composed by Daniel Mertzlufft (@danieljmertzlufft). But the big guns came out with Ratatouille the TikTok musical. Sometimes called Ratatousical, the sensation started with Em Jacobs (@e_jaccs) making a sweet, silly ode to the cartoon mouse. From there, the project took off, with Mertzlufft giving the number the full Broadway treatment, which led to other users writing new songs, choreographing, designing sets and playbills, and gaining internet traction using the “duet” feature on the app.
Soon, real, fancy Broadway stars were clamoring to be a part of it, and the powers that be decided to do a recorded version, tickets to which would raise money for The Actors Fund, a national human services organization which gives financial support to people who work in the arts. To date, Ratatouille has raised over two million dollars for the Actors Fund, making it the organization’s most successful event.
The recorded version of the musical, which was directed by Six creator Lucy Moss, starred Emmy nominee and Broadway alum Tituss Burgess as Remy the rat. Other people you might recognize are Wayne Brady as Django, Tony winner André De Shields (Hadestown) as Ego, Andrew Barth Feldman (Dear Evan Hansen) as Linguini, Adam Lambert as Emile, and Tony nominee and Emily in Paris star Ashley Park as Colette.
The musical benefit streamed on New Year’s Day 2021, just a week after a certain Regency drama premiered on Netflix. Bridgerton exploded like the Duke on his bedsheets (ew) and everyone and their mom watched it. So, it was inevitable…
Abigail Barlow (@abigailbarlowww), a rising pop star mentored by Meghan Trainor, with glorious unicorn purple hair, asked the world on TikTok, “What if Bridgerton was a musical?” on January 10. She proceeded to belt out, “Daphne’s Song” which later became “Oceans Away.”
The world was listening, and now #Bridgertonmusical is #trending. Barlow teamed up with Emily Bear (@emilythebear) and together, they became Barlow and Bear, the next musical theatre creation duo. Speaking of duos, the duet feature enabled people to take Barlow’s idea and run with it. “Oceans Away” became a duet with Simon, then it transformed into an opening number with verses from all the major players from the show. TikTok user @Elchoreography, a sister duo, did gorgeous choreography for several of the Barlow and Bear numbers, while other users designed sets, made playbills, and wrote additional numbers.
Here’s the thing. Ratatouille the TikTok Musical was cute. It was fun and a little silly to see Kimmy Schmitt’s Burgess pretend to be a rat. The recorded staging was well done, but it’s hard to imagine it being an actual Broadway success. Dancing rats are usually busy battling it out in The Nutcracker and the logistics of a musical set in a kitchen with a little rat on stage with humans are perhaps more than even The Lion King (and, oof, Spider-man musical) director Julie Taymor can handle.
But the Bridgerton musical is goooooood. Like, better than a lot of current Broadway good (sorry Tina Fey, I love you, but looking at you, Mean Girls). It’s poppy and sexy and, from a physics perspective, possible. Can you imagine watching those beautiful costumes move live on stage in all those ballroom scenes?
But what next? Barlow has said on her account that the next step is to make a concept album that may someday be pitched as a real, live musical. I’m here for it. I’ll buy it.
We, the watchers, are witnessing the creation of something in real time, which never used to happen. We’d have radio silence from an artist, say Taylor Swift, and then BAM BAM double pandemic albums. And, unlike any “professional” art creation, we are invited to participate.
Is the TikTok musical the future of content creation? Furthermore, is it the future of arts creation? Should we all be crowdsourcing our creative endeavors? Would the general public be a good source to weigh in on the next Marvel movie? Would letting more people into the process keep all the movie directors from being abusive asshats? Or would it dilute the artistic playing field, making every art form into a version of American Idol?
As a creator myself (hello) and an old person (millennial), I find it hard to believe I could give myself up to that process. To collaborate is to accept criticism. To work with others is to share the credit. Many creators want to work in a vacuum and emerge victorious with a fantastic product, curated with only the “best of the best” producers, designers, etc. It is exclusive and inaccessible to gate-keep the process and often leaves out those in marginalized groups. Only the popular kids get to see how the sausage gets made.
But what if we gave the everyday person the chance to shine? What if the next iteration of Broadway and even storytelling and art-making in general is the group project? What if, instead of no one else being in the room where it happens, we let everyone in? Should we democratize making art?
To refer back to our culinary rat, too many cooks might spoil the broth, but what if we let the Remy the rats of this world bring their creativity into the kitchen? Anyone can cook, as the Ratatouille musical purports, and perhaps anyone can make the next great artistic sensation.
Images: LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX
For many people, the chance to lead a Broadway show is the dream of a lifetime. One of those people is Samantha Barks, who is currently living out that dream playing Vivian Ward in Broadway’s Pretty Woman: The Musical. The chance to step into the iconic role created by Julia Roberts is the opportunity of a lifetime, and for Barks, it was an opportunity that came after years of hard work and dedication.
Samantha Barks is probably still best known for playing Éponine in the 2012 film adaptation of Les Misérables, earning numerous awards for her breakthrough performance. Years before that, she got her start when she was cast on a singing competition show in the UK at the age of 17. For Samantha, that opportunity changed everything. “I auditioned for fun. I didn’t think I would get through. I ended up on live TV for two months—that was a crazy jump,” she recalls. “I’m from a little island, a beautiful island called Isle of Man, and all of a sudden, everyone recognizes you because you’re on primetime, Saturday night TV.”
Despite the show leading to numerous theater gigs for Samantha, her sudden exposure wasn’t all positive. “The fame thing—even though minor fame—there were aspects of it that I really didn’t take to, and it made me very, very anxious,” she admits. “In a way, that surprised me because I always just thought about the career aspect…but I didn’t think about the stuff that came along with it, and that actually was something I found really difficult to get a hold of.”
When Samantha heard that Pretty Woman was being turned into a musical, she knew it was something special. “The minute I saw that they were doing it, I was on the phone with my agent being like, ‘Please, I have to be seen for this role,'” she recalls. As fate would have it, the timing worked out perfectly. “I was actually filming in London, I had a week off to come and do some concerts at 54 Below , and it happened to be on the same week that Pretty Woman were holding their auditions—thank you, fate! So I auditioned, and they wanted me for a callback, but I couldn’t because I had to go back on the plane, and they were talking about flying me back, and there was all this back and forth, and then I landed in London and they said, ‘It’s yours. They want you to do it.'”
Barks landed the role more quickly than she had even imagined, but that was just the start of the hard work. For one, she was faced with the challenge of creating her own version of one of the most iconic film roles ever. The first rule? No watching the movie allowed. “It’s banned. Just because, you know, it’s such a beautiful, iconic performance from Julia Roberts.”
Rather than try to top Roberts’ star-making role, Barks looked for a more personal connection to the character: “What does Vivian feel like to me?” she asked herself. “What does Vivian feel like in my skin?” She also turned to the show’s musical element to unlock new aspects of the character. “The fact that we’re now singing songs by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance, that’s amazing, and it changes things. It gives you these little three-minute snapshots of a character.”
Once Samantha figured out her take on the character, she could really have fun with it. Vivian is “such a fun character,” she says, “because she has such a great journey… The best thing about her is from the beginning to the end, seeing the transformation that she goes on. Not the transformation that people think of—the hair and the clothes—that’s just fine. It’s actually her finding her voice and finding that self-worth.”
Of course, Vivian is a sex worker, a profession that is often considered taboo. But her journey in Pretty Woman defies the stereotypes of her background, and offers something for all of us to learn. In talking about what Vivian has unlocked inside of her, Samantha says, “It goes back to her finding her self-worth, and actually saying ‘that’s okay.’ Standing up for yourself, and having the confidence to go ‘I’m actually enough. I’m enough!'”
Even though Vivian’s choices might not always be the easy ones, she knows what’s right for her. “You have to stand up for yourself and make hard decisions, because you’ve got to believe in yourself,” Barks asserts. “We put so much pressure on ourselves to be perfect all the time, and it’s like, you’ve got to be a fan of yourself, be a supporter of yourself. That’s not easy to do, but Vivian becomes that. We can all learn from that.”
For Samantha Barks, a year of stepping into Vivian Ward’s thigh-high boots eight times a week has been full of unforgettable moments. Perhaps the biggest one of all came last summer, when Julia Roberts herself paid the Broadway company of Pretty Woman a visit. “She walked onto the stage and just looked straight for me, and she just hugged me and hugged me and hugged me, and we stayed in a hug, and she was so nice about what I had done in the show,” Barks gushes. ” so kind about my portrayal of Vivian…I was blown away. Even just to meet her and give her a hug is amazing when you’ve played this role, but for her to like what I’ve done with it—surreal. Surreal, but lovely. To get her stamp of approval was amazing.”
In addition to some special celebrity backstage visits, Pretty Woman has given Samantha Barks a long-awaited debut in the Broadway community, and they’ve welcomed her with open arms. “These are your peers, your family,” she says of her Broadway friends. After years of flying back and forth for various film projects, Broadway has offered Barks a supportive home to grow with other artists—especially women. “I love that. When women celebrate other women, I love it. I see a lot of that, and it’s been lovely.”
Samantha Barks is currently starring as Vivian Ward in Broadway’s Pretty Woman: The Musical, at the Nederlander Theatre.
Images: Shutterstock; MissAVuk, Pretty Woman: The Musical / YouTube; @samanthabarks (2) / Instagram
For those of us who are always looking for new, more magical ways to connect with Mean Girls, aka the greatest film ever filmed, you’re in luck because the Mean Girls musical is coming to Broadway. Whether you’re a plastic, a sexually active band geek, or even an unfriendly black hottie, this is obviously incredible news. And before you freak out thinking some lame-ass mathlete is going to come in and ruin Mean Girls, shut up because it is being written by none other than famed drug pusher Tina Fey, with help from lead producer Lorne Michaels (SNL guy) and music and lyrics by Nell Benjamin, the man behind another betchy-flick-turned-musical, Legally Blonde.
So yeah, basically this musical is going to be extremely grool, and you’re going to need to get tickets ASAP or this will be you come opening day:
Mean Girls the musical is headed to Broadway next spring, beginning previews March 12 and opening April 8 at the August Wilson Theater. Tickets go on sale on October 3rd, because obviously. The musical will also run at the National Theater in D.C. from October 31st-December 3rd, so put on your cutest white gold hoops and go see it before anybody else. Just tell them your dad invented Toaster Strudel and hit up an aisle seat like:
Mean Girls faces stiff competition this spring from other big name musicals this year. Regina, Gretchen, Karen, and Cady will be going up against SpongeBob Squarepants (fat whore), Frozen (uses super jumbo tampons), and Harry Potter (can go shave his back now), but we’re fairly confident they’ll figure out a way to share the crown.
Honestly, I’m just excited to see Damian sing the cafeteria map, and hear Karen’s solo ballad “But Why Are You White?” Oh, and it goes without saying, but on opening night we wear pink.
It’s hot out, which means when you’re not at the pool getting day drunk, you’re watching Netflix and literally trying to chill. We’re officially at the part in the summer where the Sun goes from being a fun source of great lighting to a demon that is trying to ruin your makeup by inducing copious amounts of sweat. Some days, it’s just like, not possible to leave the air conditioned sanctuary of your apartment. We get it. TBH, when the temperature hits around 90 degrees, you should be allowed to call out sweaty from work. You’d be doing everyone a favor. On an unbearably hot day, there’s nothing better than just chilling on your couch, half naked, streaming television until Netflix is prompted to ask if you’re still there. Thank God Game of Thrones is back, but that’s only one night a week, and if tits and dragons aren’t your thing, don’t worry because here’s what’s on Netflix that you should definitely watch this summer.
1. Glow
Alison Brie is basically bizarro Anne Hathaway. She’s like, if Anne Hathaway was self-aware and knew how annoying she was, instead of just pretending to be self-aware so that we’ll stop being mean to her. (Not gonna happen, Anne. Sorry.) We low-key loved to hate her in Mad Men, and then she redeemed herself by acting TF out of everything else she’s been in since. This show is about female wrestlers, which sounds unbetchy at first, but it’s self-aware (there’s that word again) and hilarious and everybody dresses like a slut and does a lot of drugs, which gets our kiss of approval. Plus, Betty Gilpin is amazing in this as Debbie, the hot blonde best friend. We’re sure Halloween is going to see a lot of sexy wrestler costumes this year, and honestly, we don’t hate it.
2. Oh Hello
If you don’t live in New York or LA or one of the limited cities this show’s traveled to (we were too lazy to look up what those were), then you’re in luck because you can watch the TV version of John Mulaney and Nick Kroll’s underground hit Broadway show Oh Hello. It’s adorable and weird in the best way, and reminds you of that time in high school you got super into Broadway musicals and tried to join theater before realizing everyone was a freak so you joined cheer instead. Anyways, these gentlemen are fun to watch and you can watch this on a third date if you’re looking for a chill comedy to put on while deciding if you’re going to make out with him or not.
3. Moana
Honestly, Moana is better than Frozen and any little girl who says otherwise is basic. Sorry, but it’s true. This movie is on Netflix, which means you can and should rewatch it or watch it for the first time if you haven’t before. Moana is a betch for sure. She has great hair, doesn’t listen to her parents, looks great in a bikini, and is like, very tan. Plus, The Rock is in this and he sings so I really don’t need to say anymore.
4. Orange is the New Black Season 5
A show about betches who fucked up but still can’t learn their lesson. If you haven’t already watched the first 4 seasons, what are you even doing? Catch up on OITNB because it’s basically what made Netflix golden in the original series market. Plus, Piper, much like us, believes in the saying: Better to beg for forgiveness than ask for permission.
5. Friends from College
TBH we don’t know if this is any good, so you can write us a Yelp review about it if you know. But this stars Keegan Michael Key and Cobie Smulders, both of whom we like, so maybe it’s worth a shot. It’s about friends who went to Harvard, and are still like… friends. Sounds a lot like Friends, which we liked, I guess. The Harvard thing is like, meh, but Rachel Bloom in Crazy Ex Girlfriend went to Harvard and that show is hilarious. So maybe it’s a thing.
6. Disjointed
We like to think this is in the same universe as Titanic, if Kathy Bates made it to America and started a weed dispensary. Well, the timeline is a little off there, but movies are fake so whatevs. This show is an office comedy about working at a weed dispensary. Although it comes from showrunner Chuck Lorre, who created Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory, so expect a lot of corny jokes your mom will probably like more than you.
7. Riverdale
Since this series is now on Netflix, you don’t have to babysit a pre-teen just to watch the CW. This show is surprisingly good, even though Betty and Veronica are poorly cast (and dressed, sorry we had to say it), Archie is a fox and it’s on par with Pretty Little Liars. We’re into it, and you can binge it on Netflix.
8. Lady Dynamite Season 2
Maria Bamford has one of the best specials we’ve ever seen, so naturally, we’re going to watch season 2 of her show. She’s basically Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter if she were a real person, or if Jess from New Girl got older and less annoying. Maria’s quirky not for the attention, but just for survival. We love her and we think this will be great.
Every once in a while, a movie comes along that’s so betchy it quickly transforms from a standard flick into a visual betch bible. There’s Cruel Intentions and Mean Girls for baby betches, Legally Blonde for the college betch and, of course, The Devil Wears Prada for the young professional (despite the fact that Anne Nicegirl Hathaway can’t fucking sit with us). And because the entire world dreams of being as incredible and powerful and fab as Miranda Priestly, The Devil Wear’s Prada is coming to Broadway. Brb, running to buy my ticket rn.
Our fave gay BFF Elton John and famous playwright bro Paul Rudnick are the ones creating the whole thing, so like, shit should be good. This isn’t Sir Elton’s first fucking rodeo, amiright? The only downside is that the production company has said that none of the original cast will be in the play. I know, I know. Y’all are gonna freak tf out and be like “that’s great news because Mia prin-cess of Genovia is the fucking worst,” but like, you gotta admit watching her get shit on for two hours was entertaining af. Not to mention, who could ever replace Emily Blunt and Queen Meryl? No one. That’s who. But IDGAF because shit is legendary and who doesn’t wanna see Miranda Priestly realness in person?