Lea Michele Recalls ‘Glee’ Finale Ahead of the 2023 Tonys: Why the ‘Funny Girl’ Star Cannot Win Best Actress
usmagazine.comLife is gleefully imitating art for Lea Michele, who will perform at the Tony Awards with the Broadway revival of Funny Girl on Sunday, June 11.“Somewhere Rachel Berry is smiling. ❤️ @thetonyawards tonight!” the actress, 36, captioned a rehearsal photo from the stage of New York City’s United Palace on Sunday via Instagram.After many homages to the Barbra Streisand movie throughout the show, the Glee series finale showed Michele’s character, Rachel Berry, winning the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for a Funny Girl revival.
The New York native, however, won’t get to make an acceptance speech.Michele — who shares son Ever, 2, with husband Zandy Reich — is not eligible for a Tony this year after joining the musical in September 2022.
Funny Girl debuted last April with Beanie Feldstein in the lead role. Feldstein, 29, was considered the actress who originated the role in this particular production, making her the only Fanny actress eligible.Feldstein was not nominated at last year’s ceremony amid overwhelmingly negative reviews.
Michele, meanwhile, has been showered with positive feedback since her debut at the August Wilson Theater.Despite the production’s ineligibility for this year’s trophies, Michele and the cast of Funny Girl will make an appearance to perform — and a different Glee alum took the stage to accept a Tony Awards.Alex Newell won the Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical category on Sunday night, becoming the first gender nonconforming performer to earn a Tony.
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