Lea Michele's Second Act: The Funny Girl Star on Spring Awakening, Glee & Finding Her Fanny Brice

The beginning of Funny Girl, playing at Broadway's August Wilson Theatre, finds Fanny Brice looking back on her life, love and career. The moment feels particularly meta for Lea Michele, who stepped into the leading role on September 6. Though she has not been on Broadway since originating the role of Wendla Bergman in the Tony-winning smash Spring Awakening over 15 years ago, Michele has always been close to musical theater. Glee fans (a.k.a. Gleeks) know her as Rachel Berry, who landed the role of Fanny Brice in a fictional revival of Funny Girl during the series' fourth season. Michele has been associated with the musical's Broadway return for some time. In the past year, she reunited with the Spring Awakening cast for a benefit concert, documentary and performance on the 2022 Tony Awards. In an interview that's been extended from a recent episode of The Broadway Show, Michele sat down with Broadway.com Editor-in-Chief Paul Wontorek to talk about why the timing feels right for her to return to Broadway in a role she was born to play.

"It's wild. A year ago, I had just moved back to the city with my family. I was still really in the thick of being a new mom and embracing that and embracing living back in New York again," Michele said. She and husband Zandy Reich welcomed their son Ever Leo on August 20, 2020. "When we did our [Spring Awakening reunion] concert, and I stood on the chair at the top of the show, that's when I just felt this deep, deep, deep desire—it was there. It came to life at that moment, and I said, 'I just would love to be back on the stage again.'"

Michele first became acquainted with Funny Girl while she was in Spring Awakening, which was also helmed by the revival's director Michael Mayer. "Michael told me to watch the movie in 2006 when I was going through a breakup," Michele said. "Then, with the storyline that Rachel [on Glee] had, it was a huge part of my life when I was living in L.A. This role has been a part of my life throughout so many different seasons, but I've never felt more prepared, more ready to play this part than I do now."

Michele's name has often been in headlines alongside Funny Girl: "I was very content when we decided to not do it in 2014. I played the part so much on Glee and sang the songs, so I felt very at peace with it. I've always known act one Fanny: the ambition, the drive, the energy, the blinders—I've always connected to that," she said. "I got into a car crash on the way to my Glee audition, and I still stormed into the audition, pulled the glass out of my hair, and I was like, 'I'm getting this job today.' Fanny would do the exact same thing. Now, having lived my life and having loss and heartbreak, deep love, marriage, and a child, life's ups and downs—it's all of those experiences that I'm now bringing to this opportunity and this role."

Michele leads the show alongside Tovah Feldshuh, Jared Grimes and  Ramin Karimloo. "I haven't felt this level of trust since working with [Spring Awakening co-star] Jonathan [Groff]," she said of Karimloo. "In order to deliver an honest and truthful performance, you have to have a co-star and a partner that you know is just going to catch you. He challenges me to constantly go there."

Michele's Broadway return is being met back with mid-performance standing ovations and a box office boom for the production. "I'm loving living in the bubble that is the safe home and space of this theater and this cast. If I did not know and feel the support that I have from everyone, this would be very scary for me," she said. "I'm literally having the time of my life."

Watch the extended interview below. Head here to check your local listings for The Broadway Show. Hosted by Emmy-winning anchor Tamsen Fadal, it is the only nationally syndicated weekly theater news program.