Lea Michelle’s Broadway run of Funny Girl is beginning after it was announced this July that she would be taking over the role of Fanny Brice from Beanie Feldstein, who had been garnering a mixed reception in the role.
Michele’s opening night was Tuesday and celebs like Ryan Murphy, Jonathan Groff, Zachary Quinto and Harvey Fierstein were there to support her.
Michele reportedly received four standing ovations before the show’s intermission, with the first one occurring just when she took the stage at the August Wilson Theatre without even singing a note. The show ended with seven total standing ovations in honor of Michele’s performance.
There were even modifications made to this version of the show. The song “I’d Rather Be Blue Over You,” which they had cut from the Feldstein revival run, has been since added to the show
Interestingly, Michele performed alongside Tova Feldshuh as Ms. Brice, who was also well-received.
But in the original run of the revival with Feldstein, Michele’s Glee co-star Jane Lynch was Ms. Brice, meaning we were agonizingly close to a miniature Glee cast reunion.
Despite the hot reception from online fans, the audience was mostly free of actual theater critics, not that they’re the be-all-end-all of valid opinions. The show will be accommodating critics seating in the next couple of weeks, which gives Michele time to get more comfortable.
Being cast in Funny Girl wasn’t only a longtime career goal for Michele herself, but also her character in Glee who sang several songs from Funny Girl and was nearly cast in it at the end of the series. Michele has also come under fire for bullying and alleged racist behavior towards some of her Glee castmates.
Since she did not originate the role in this revival, Michele cannot be nominated for a Tony Award despite the talents she displayed. Plus, the nomination period had already past for the show, and Feldstein unfortunately was not nominated.
