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| Sheridan Smith to miss Funny Girl performance for third night running | Sheridan Smith to miss Funny Girl performance for third night running |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Sheridan Smith has pulled out of her third consecutive performance of the West End play Funny Girl on Wednesday evening after saying she is not strong enough. | Sheridan Smith has pulled out of her third consecutive performance of the West End play Funny Girl on Wednesday evening after saying she is not strong enough. |
| Her leading role as Fanny Brice will be taken on by her understudy, leaving it uncertain whether Smith will continue for the remaining five-month run. | Her leading role as Fanny Brice will be taken on by her understudy, leaving it uncertain whether Smith will continue for the remaining five-month run. |
| Related: Fanny, Barbra and Sheridan: Funny Girl on stage and screen – in pictures | Related: Fanny, Barbra and Sheridan: Funny Girl on stage and screen – in pictures |
| Smith, 34, first missed a performance on Monday night after angrily responding to suggestions in the press that she had been a sore loser at the Baftas for missing out on the best actress award for her role as the cancer blogger Lisa Lynch in The C Word. | Smith, 34, first missed a performance on Monday night after angrily responding to suggestions in the press that she had been a sore loser at the Baftas for missing out on the best actress award for her role as the cancer blogger Lisa Lynch in The C Word. |
| On Twitter, she accused the press of “bullying”, adding that she had had “the best night in memory of my girl Lisa Lynch!” | On Twitter, she accused the press of “bullying”, adding that she had had “the best night in memory of my girl Lisa Lynch!” |
| The Savoy theatre later issued a statement that Smith was “indisposed” and would be replaced by her understudy, Natasha Barnes. | The Savoy theatre later issued a statement that Smith was “indisposed” and would be replaced by her understudy, Natasha Barnes. |
| Smith responded to disappointed ticket holders by writing: “Well done press! U let down me, the cast & everyone who spent money to see me. I apologise profusely! Sorry! Sorry I’m not strong enough!” | Smith responded to disappointed ticket holders by writing: “Well done press! U let down me, the cast & everyone who spent money to see me. I apologise profusely! Sorry! Sorry I’m not strong enough!” |
| Shortly before her performance on Tuesday, the Savoy theatre again stated that Barnes would take on the role of Brice because of the “indisposition” of Smith, and then repeated the same announcement on Wednesday afternoon. Smith’s representative has not confirmed when she will return to the stage. | |
| Due to the indisposition of Sheridan Smith, Fanny Brice will be played by Natasha J Barnes at today’s matinee & evening perfs of Funny Girl | Due to the indisposition of Sheridan Smith, Fanny Brice will be played by Natasha J Barnes at today’s matinee & evening perfs of Funny Girl |
| Jamie Lynch, Lisa Lynch’s brother, leapt to the defence of Smith’s Bafta disappointment, and said that “people may never be able to fully appreciate how much it meant to her and how emotional it was” to portray Lisa’s battle with terminal cancer on screen in The C Word. | |
| “We got to see it first hand in filming, and trust me that girl is special. I’ve become so protective of her in the same way as I was with Lisa,” he wrote in a blog post. | “We got to see it first hand in filming, and trust me that girl is special. I’ve become so protective of her in the same way as I was with Lisa,” he wrote in a blog post. |
| Funny Girl producers admitted in a statement that Smith was going through “a difficult time”. | |
| It said: “We fully support Sheridan during this really difficult time and are encouraging her to take as much time off as she needs. | |
| “We are doing everything possible to see that she gets appropriate care and support.” | |
| Smith spent much of Monday responding on Twitter to trolls who criticised her for dropping out of her performance. | Smith spent much of Monday responding on Twitter to trolls who criticised her for dropping out of her performance. |
| She wrote: “Sat behind your computer u little geek, love to see what u look like. Come say your s*** to my face & let’s see what happens.” She later made her Twitter account private. | She wrote: “Sat behind your computer u little geek, love to see what u look like. Come say your s*** to my face & let’s see what happens.” She later made her Twitter account private. |
| Related: Sheridan Smith's Funny Girl is a masterclass in musical comedy | Related: Sheridan Smith's Funny Girl is a masterclass in musical comedy |
| Smith also alluded to her “dad dying”, suggesting that she was struggling with the recent news that her father, who she is very close to, was recently diagnosed with cancer, the same disease that killed her brother. | Smith also alluded to her “dad dying”, suggesting that she was struggling with the recent news that her father, who she is very close to, was recently diagnosed with cancer, the same disease that killed her brother. |
| In March she accused producers of “pressuring” her into returning to the show. Shortly after, a performance of Funny Girl was pulled 15 minutes in, following accusations that Smith was drunk on stage and slurring her words, though her publicist said this was “categorically not true”. | In March she accused producers of “pressuring” her into returning to the show. Shortly after, a performance of Funny Girl was pulled 15 minutes in, following accusations that Smith was drunk on stage and slurring her words, though her publicist said this was “categorically not true”. |
| Graham Norton’s opening monologue at the Baftas appeared to contain a joke at Smith’s expense, when he quipped: “We’re all excited for a couple of drinks tonight. Or, as it’s known in theatrical circles, a few glasses of ‘technical difficulties’.” | Graham Norton’s opening monologue at the Baftas appeared to contain a joke at Smith’s expense, when he quipped: “We’re all excited for a couple of drinks tonight. Or, as it’s known in theatrical circles, a few glasses of ‘technical difficulties’.” |
| Smith had received glowing reviews for her performance as Brice, a role that was responsible for catapulting Barbra Streisand to fame on Broadway in 1964. It became the fastest-selling show at the Menier Chocolate Factory theatre in London before transferring to the West End this year. | Smith had received glowing reviews for her performance as Brice, a role that was responsible for catapulting Barbra Streisand to fame on Broadway in 1964. It became the fastest-selling show at the Menier Chocolate Factory theatre in London before transferring to the West End this year. |