Lea Michele as Fanny Brice inFunny Girl.Photo: Bruce Glikas/WireImage
Funny Girljust helped the August Wilson Theatre land a major milestone.
During the summer, before theGleealum’s debut, the venue had been filled to about 74% capacity per show, perVariety.
Funny Girlalso starsRamin Karimloo, Jared Grimes, Tovah Feldshuh, Peter Francis James, Ephie Aardema, Debra Cardona, Toni DiBuono and Martin Moran, withJulie Benko playing Fannyon Thursdays.
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Funny Girlat the August Wilson Theate.Bruce Glikas/WireImage
Michele told PEOPLE earlier this year aboutthe moment she learned she’d be returning to Broadwayfor her first time in over a decade.
At that moment, the actress and singer said that she looked up and saw formerSpring AwakeningcostarGideon Glick.
“He saw me crying. People had been asking me [about the role], but I didn’t really know what was going to happen,” she continued. “He was like, ‘Oh my God, did you just get the part?’ And I was nodding.”
“And so he took a picture of me on the street hysterically crying, getting the part of Fanny Brice,” Michele added.
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While visiting theLate Show with Seth Meyersearlier this month, Michele opened up about hearing from her idol,Barbra Streisand, who originated the role of Fanny Brice inFunny Girl.
“It was very sweet — shewrote me this beautiful letter,” Michele shared. “But one thing she said in it … she was like, ‘It’s really wonderful when your dreams come true, isn’t it?’ And I just, like, fell to my knees, and I called [Gleeco-creator]Ryan Murphy, my mom,Jonathan Groffand [Funny Girldirector] Michael Mayer.”
After she shared the big news with her loved ones, “I got a little nervous,” theScream Queensalum admitted. “I was like, ‘Wait a second, how do I not know that this is not fake — that some person is just playing the worst prank on me in the entire world?’ "
Michele said she checked in with Karimloo, who plays Nicky Arnstein, to verify her letter was actually from Streisand, 80, since Karimloo, 44, received one from the legendary actress earlier in the run.
“I snuck into his room, found the copy of his letter and then just made sure that the writing was the same, and it was!” Michele explained. “So that was all I needed.”
source: people.com
