Glee fans, this one’s for you! Actress, Lea Michele, made her debut as Fanny Brice in Broadway’s production of Funny Girl on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022. Leaving Glee fans everywhere captivated in the unfolding story, Michele is now living out the dreams of her former character, Rachel Berry. 

Although this is her Fanny debut, Michele is in no way unfamiliar with the lights of the Broadway stage. In the mid 90’s, she made her first appearance as Young Cosette in Les Misérables. Michele also had roles in Ragtime,  Fiddler On The Roof, and Spring Awakening. 

In 2009, Glee first aired, and Michele has since been best known for her performance as Rachel Berry. Throughout the entire show, Berry’s dream was to play Fanny Brice on Broadway, which was a goal she achieved in season five. Now, as Lea Michele is making her debut in Funny Girl, many Glee fans feel that everything is coming full circle. Many who attended her opening night, posted clips of her rendition of “Don’t Rain On My Parade” because all “Gleeks” know that it is an iconic Rachel Berry song. 

Michele has received backlash in the past for being controversial and hard to work with, but that has not stopped fans from cheering her on through this experience. In one TikTok posted by user @dara.gordon, Michele is singing “Don’t Rain On My Parade,” and the comments  seem to have a unanimous opinion on the performance.

One user commented, “tragically, she is the moment.”

Another said, “Unfortunately, she left absolutely no crumbs.”

And many are quoting Glee character, Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer) and saying, “she may be difficult, but boy can she sing.” 

Many fans were not thrilled when Michele was cast because of her controversial past. This is why many comments use words like “tragically” and “unfortunately” before praising her talent. One user made the comment, “I love how people equally bully her and love her.” 

Bringing tears to the eyes of Glee fans, as the show closed, Michele looked out into the audience and exchanged a look and point with one of her former Glee Co-Stars, Jonathan Groff. Groff played Jessie St James, boyfriend and future husband of Rachel Berry (clip posted on TikTok by user @jordanrothofficial). 

It is not yet known how long Michele will be in the role of Fanny, but lets hope she doesn’t get bored and leave the production after being offered a TV show based around her life which ends up failing miserably (if you know you know).