Nobody is going to ruin Lea Michele’s party! The 36-year-old actress is presently playing Fanny Brice in the Broadway revival of Funny Girl, a role that Barbra Streisand established in 1964.
Michele, who has a lengthy history of playing songs from Funny Girl on Glee and beyond, revealed on Monday’s Late Night With Seth Meyers that Streisand, 80, had finally contacted her about her performance.
“Oh my god, I did,” Michele said, “I finally heard from Barbra.” “I arrived at work the other day to find this gold envelope on my dresser. It was like getting invited to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I’d expect it to arrive on doves.”
“Heavy, was there weight to it?” Meyers inquired about the envelope.
“No, it was as light as a featha,” Michele remarked, imitating Streisand’s accent.
She went on to say that she “simply knew” the letter came from the famed musician.
“It was incredibly wonderful of her to write me this lovely letter,” Michele stated. “‘It’s really fantastic when your dreams come true, isn’t it?’ she said at one point. And I collapsed to my knees. Ryan Murphy, my mother, Jonathan Groff, and [director] Michael Mayer were all summoned. ‘These are the ones who need to know,’ I thought.”
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Michele’s euphoria was cut short by a terrible intrusive idea.
“Then I felt a bit apprehensive because I was thinking, ‘Wait a minute, how do I know this isn’t a hoax?’ Is that person just playing the worst joke on me in the entire world?’ “She stated.
Fortunately, her co-star, Ramin Karimloo, who had previously worked with Streisand, had received a letter from the Oscar winner.
“I crept into his room, retrieved his copy of his letter, and double-checked the writing. And because it was, that was all I needed “Michele exclaimed, laughing.
In addition to Streisand’s accolades, Michele was recently impressed by a renowned face in the audience.
“Nicole Kidman came there the other night and I froze,” Michele confessed. “I was frightened for a second, then I was like, ‘OK,’ but it’s really fantastic because it’s so participatory.”
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Michele took over as Fanny Brice after actress Beanie Feldstein left the show in July.
Feldstein told me in September 2021 that she had not discussed the job with Streisand.
“Certainly in my fantasies!” Feldstein expressed her desire to speak with Streisand.
Feldstein announced her departure from the project in July.
“Playing Fanny Brice on Broadway has been a lifelong dream of mine,” Feldstein said at the time. “When the production decided to take the show in a different direction, I had to make the extremely difficult decision to leave sooner than expected.”
