By: Genna Cottingham '23
On Thursday, October 7th, I had the pleasure of seeing the hit Broadway musical Funny Girl at the August Wilson Theater in New York. Since it was announced in late August that Lea Michele, the star of the television show Glee, would be playing Fanny Brice on Broadway, I immediately realized I needed to attend. During Michele’s time in Glee, her character, Rachel, starred in Funny Girl on Broadway. After the show aired, she even performed her rendition of “Don’t Rain On My Parade” from the musical at the 2012 Tony Awards. Ten years later, she is finally actually starring as Fanny Brice on Broadway. Michele is a perfect match for this iconic role of a young Jewish woman, navigating the obstacles of becoming a performer in 1920s New York City.
With my luck, Lea Michele takes off every Thursday, but I didn’t find out until the day before my show. I recall reading countless articles about her new role, but never got down to the very bottom where it mentioned her taking a day off each week. The tickets had been a birthday present from my godmother, so I could not change the day just because the leading lady was not performing that night. As you can imagine, with Lea’s star status, tickets for the nights she was performing can range from $500 to $1500. Meanwhile, the night I attended was a mere $100 a pop. Even the outstanding price of tickets doesn’t stop Michele from selling out the place every night.
Michele’s alternate, Julie Benko, did not disappoint. From the loud, belting high notes, the funny dance moves, and all the comedic relief in between, Benko took the powerful role to heart. Every facial expression and little emphasis on Fanny Brice’s prominent combination of Brooklyn and Jewish accents was superbly executed. However, I did find myself at times picturing Lea Michele singing a few of the songs. Primarily, during “Don’t Rain On My Parade,” I got teary-eyed at the nostalgic thought of Michele singing those lyrics as she did in her humble beginnings on Glee, just 11 years prior.
The onstage chemistry among the entire cast was present throughout the entire musical. It was easy to notice the genuine happiness each member of the company felt to share the stage together. I guess that is what story-telling is all about; performers are given the ability to portray the roles of people from all walks of life. The story of a Brooklyn-born, Jewish-bred actress looking to kick-start her career on Broadway must be a fun one to tell. I hope to get the chance to see Funny Girl again, but this time hopefully with Lea Michele starring. If you haven’t seen this fantastic Broadway show yet, I advise you to go check it out and see how truly funny it really is.
Photos Courtesy of Genna Cottingham '23
Edited by: Faith Lam '23, Katarina Radulovic '24, Natalia Cseh '23, and Ms. Brilliant
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