Barbra Streisand Didn’t See Lea Michele Play Her Iconic Funny Girl Role on Broadway but Says ‘I’m Happy for Her’

Barbra Streisand didn’t see Lea Michele taking over her icon Fun girl the role.

vanity fair spoke with Streisand (81) about her autobiography My name is Barbra and reported that the actress had not watched Michele’s recent Broadway performances as Fanny Brice. Michele, 37, gave her final Fun girl performance at the August Wilson Theater in New York on September 3.

Although she didn’t watch Michele’s performance, she told the paper, “I’m happy for her.”

On the closing night, Michele wrote on Instagram: “Thank you for all the love and support. This has truly been the most extraordinary year and chapter of my life. I can’t wait for what’s next.” In another post, she shared “huge love and gratitude to everyone who came out to see @funnygirlbwy last year.”

Streisand played Fanny Brice on Broadway in 1964, then later in the 1968 film adaptation, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress (alongside Katharine Hepburn for Leo in winter).

The life of Barbra Streisand in photos

Lea Michele in “Funny Girl”.

Theo Wargo/Getty Images

While on The Late Show with Seth Meyers in December, Michele said she “finally heard from Barbra” and received a letter from the actress.

“It was very sweet, she wrote me this beautiful letter,” said Michele at the time. “But one thing she said in it… She said, ‘It’s really wonderful when your dreams come true, isn’t it?’ And I just dropped to my knees and called [Glee co-creator] Ryan Murphy, My Mom, Jonathan Groff and [Funny Girl director] Michael Mayer.”

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Lea Michele at the Tony Awards on June 11, 2023.

Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty

Lea Michele Teases She Has Another “Very Different” Broadway Show After ‘Funny Girl’

Earlier this year, Murphy, 57, wrote about seeing Michele Fun girl in tribute to the actress for Time100 most influential people in 2023.

“Fun girl is my favorite musical of all time, and I’ve flirted with its Broadway revival for over a decade. Ultimately, I couldn’t commit for one reason: the long shadow of Barbra Streisand, who created the role of Fanny Brice,” he wrote. “I was afraid of it. Lea Michele was not afraid.”

Added Murphy of Michele, “She did the impossible: made Fanny her own, to great critical and commercial acclaim. Older, wiser, stronger, Lea infused the classic with a new burst of modernity and something unique.”

My name is Barbra is released on November 7.

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Source: HIS Education