Lea Michele Recalls the Emotional Moment She Discovered She Would Star in ‘Funny Girl’ on Broadway!

By Rishi Rajput On Sep 7, 2022

On Broadway, Lea Michele has made her triumphant return! Michele opened up to PEOPLE about the moment she found out that she would be making her first trip back to Broadway in more than a decade in the lead role of Fanny Brice in the revival of the musical Funny Girl, which will have its world premiere on Tuesday.

She started off by saying, “Funny story.” “My representatives just informed me that I had been cast in the role. I had no idea. My son, Ever, who is two years old, and I were literally sitting outside at Bubby’s and I was feeding Ever buttered noodles and vegetables.

And around that time, my representatives gave me a call and informed me that they had cast me in the role of Fanny Brice in the musical Funny Girl. And as I looked up, I immediately began sobbing uncontrollably, and I thought to myself, “Oh my God.”

Michele claimed that at that same moment, she looked up and saw former co-star Gideon Glick from the show Spring Awakening.

“He noticed that I was crying. “People had been asking me [about the part], but I didn’t really know what was going to happen,” she continued. “I didn’t really know what was going to happen.” “Oh my God, did you just get the part?” he exclaimed incredulously. And I was nodding. She went on to explain, “And so he snapped a picture of me on the street uncontrollably crying in order for me to obtain the part of Fanny Brice.”

“Gideon was someone that I had lived with in the past. And he was physically present with me when I received the call informing me that I would also be performing in Les Miserables. For me, it felt like everything had come full circle at that point.

Since she found that she would be taking over the character of Fanny Brice, a part she previously played as Rachel Berry on the Fox musical series, the Glee alum stated that she had many “little” parties since she learned of the news. At the 64th Annual Tony Awards in 2010, she also performed the show-stopping number “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” which was from the musical.

Since she has previously stated that landing the role, which was originated by Barbra Streisand in 1964, is “a dream come true,” the cast of Spring Awakening has been sending her nothing but well wishes ever since it was announced that she’d be starring in the show following Beanie Feldstein’s departure. The role was originally played by Streisand.

She commented about her former co-stars on Broadway by saying that “everyone is so very supportive.” “I mean, truly, it’s just a continuous source of support for all of us,” she said.

“When I finally signed my contract and that was done, [my best friend Jonathan Groff] came over, and we just popped open a bottle of champagne, and we just sat in the living room and toasted to that,” she said. “When I finally signed my contract and that was done, [my best friend Jonathan Groff] came over.” However, I also had a weekend where all of us got away together and celebrated.

On Tuesday night, many of Michele’s friends came to see her play for the first time. Among those friends were Groff and Glick.

John Gallagher Jr., Zachary Quinto, Tony Award winner Harvey Fierstein, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, and prolific producer Ryan Murphy, who has collaborated with Lea Michele on both Glee and Scream Queens, were all present at the event. Prior to the interval, the actress was presented with four standing ovations.

During the musical’s curtain call, Michele and Tovah Feldshuh, who was also making her debut in the production on Tuesday as Fanny’s mother, were each presented with a bunch of roses from their fellow cast members as a token of appreciation for their outstanding performances.

Before Michele took the stage on her own, the two actresses had a group bow together, during which they took turns holding hands with one another. She made eye contact with a crying Groff in the audience, pointed at him, and smiled at him before rushing backstage to hide her tears.

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Lea Michele’s Net Worth

Known for her work as an actress, singer, and author in the United States, Lea Michele has amassed a net worth of $12 million and earns $80,000 every episode.

Her portrayal of Rachel Berry on the television show “Glee” on Fox is mostly responsible for her widespread fame.