The Broadway musical "Funny Girl," starring Lea Michele, just set a Broadway Box Office record after years of struggling.
The musical revival took off after Michele joined the cast, and broke the all-time box office record at August Wilson Theatre, which was a record previously held by "Mean Girls."
"Mean Girls," a movie to musical adaptation, initially held the house record with $1.994 million four years ago.
According to Variety, "Funny Girl" collected over $2.005 million for eight performances after a short run that ended on Dec. 18.
Although the musical is yet in its early days after being revived, "Funny Girl" is doing very well, and might even outperform other Broadway shows, as it is only second to "The Music Man" with a gross of $3.249 million at the Winter Graden, Deadline reports.
The August Wilson Theatre was reportedly filled at 98 to 99 percent capacity every night since Michele took over the lead role back in September.
According to reports, before she joined the cast, the August Wilson Theatre was only filled up to about 74 percent capacity per show; it seems like the huge jump can be attributed to the "Glee" alum's participation.
The 'Funny Girl'
Michele was ecstatic with her return to Broadway after over a decade, and she reflected on the time she learned that she got the role.
"Funny story: I got the call from my agents that I got the part. I had no idea. I was literally sitting out at Bubby's with my child, feeding him buttered pasta and broccoli," Michele revealed.
"And I get a call from my agents, and they said, 'You are going to be Fanny Brice in Funny Girl.' And as I looked up, I start hysterically crying, and I'm like, oh my God."
"Funny Girl" is a semi-biographical musical based on the life and career of Broadway star Fanny Brice, including her rocky relationship with Nicky Arnstein.
Several Broadway stars had once played the part of Brice, most notably Barbra Streisand in 1964, then Beanie Feldstein in the 2022 Broadway revival.
The musical boasts several well-known and loved songs like "Don't Rain on My parade," People," and "I'm the Greatest Star."
Michele's portrayal of Brice is well-received, and she has been praised for bringing life back into the musical.
Variety reviewed the "Funny Girl" revival with Michele and noted that the actress gave what the revival previously lacked: "charisma, astonishing vocals, and assuredness - not to mention a killer fan base."
"Michele is able to distance herself enough from Streisand's phrasing to take ownership - or at least to become a savvy caretaker - of the material."
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