As reported, Funny Girl on Broadway saw a spike in ticket sales once fans learned Lea Michele would be headlining. On Tuesday night, Lea’s debut lived up to the hype.
According to Variety, Michele was greeted with an ovation as soon as she walked out onto the boards of the August Wilson Theatre, so much so that it drowned out the play’s opening line. The crowd jumped to its feet five more times before the curtain fell.
According to footage from the show, the actress, who in the past has weathered an on-set bullying controversy, sang through happy tears during her first curtain call.
Michele’s famous friends came out to cheer her on. In addition to her bestie and former Spring Awakening co-star Jonathan Groff, the trade spotted Drew Barrymore, Zachary Quinto, her former Glee producer Ryan Murphy, and stage and screen legend Harvey Fierstein, who reportedly polished the play’s book before Lea took over the role.
Murphy’s attendance was a full-circle moment: While on Glee, Michele belted out Funny Girl classics like “People” and “Don’t Rain on My Parade,” in character as Barbra Streisand fangirl Rachel Berry.