Lea Michele ending her stint as Fanny Brice on Broadway is proof that dreams do really come true. The singer-actress took her final bow at the August Wilson Theatre on Sunday, Sep. 3, 2023, for the company's last performance of the show.
As videos of Michele's final performance trended online, some netizens believed that the Broadway community let her "scot-free" despite the controversy and backlash she received earlier this year.
Lea Michele Final Funny Girl Performance: 'My Man' As Encore Song
Evidently, no rain can stop Lea Michele's parade as she successfully closed the final performance of the revival company of "Funny Girl" on Broadway last Sep. 3, 2023, at the August Wilson Theatre.
Michele brought the house down with her impressive performance of "Don't Rain On My Parade," a song she has since belting out since 2009 in "Glee," where she played Rachel Berry, who was cast as Fanny Brice on a fictional revival of "Funny Girl" on Broadway in the show.
It was a full circle moment for Michele when she bagged the role. Although it was marred with controversy, Michele was nothing but grateful for the opportunity. She has since reflected on that in a lengthy, emotional post on Instagram.
More so, she capped off her last show by singing a Barbra Streisand classic - "My Man."
Unbeknownst to many, Streisand played Fanny Brice in the 1968 film and originated the role on Broadway in the 1964 production.
The song, originally composed in 1920 and has been covered multiple times in the past, has been famously sang by Streisand in the 1968 film as its finale song. It earned Streisand additional praise which earned her an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1969.
Watch Lea Michele perform a hair-raising cover of "My Man."
Lea Michele Was Let 'Scot-Free' By Broadway?
Lea Michele bagging the role of Fanny Brice was marred with controversy. For those who do not know, Michele was offered the role amid the Beanie Feldstein run as Fanny.
Feldstein was initially cast as Fanny but her stint resulted in dismal reviews and poor box-office performance. She was supposed to end her run but was cut short weeks before when news of Michele earning the role came about on social media.
It was then announced that Michele would take over the role, which unearthed multiple issues she had in the past - including her alleged diva and racist behavior on the set of "Glee" as attested by some of her former cast members and crew.
"The theatre industry really let her off scot free, didn't they?" a fan shared on social media, quote tweeting Michele's "My Man" performance.
However, fans of Michele defended her honor in the comments.
"If they are going to "cancel" performers for "microaggressions", and not getting along with all their co-stars, there will be no entertainment business," someone said.
"There was a concentrated effort to cancel her, with an entire YouTube documentary dedicated to her cancellation. But she turned around a production that was losing money and Broadway doesn't turn away people who are difficult to work with," another tweeted.
© 2024 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
