Lea Michele

2022 - 10 - 14

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Image courtesy of "The A.V. Club"

Lea Michele "never talks about herself," per Funny Girl co-star Tovah ... (The A.V. Club)

Tovah Feldshuh, who plays Mrs. Brice in the fanfare-heavy Broadway revival, says Lea Michele "doesn't come close" to warranting diva criticism.

Feldshuh joined the cast after the previous Mrs. In the fanfare-heavy Funny Girl Broadway revival, Feldshuh plays Mrs. It’s like performing with The Beatles,” Feldshuh shares. Although Feldstein’s casting had been thoroughly hyped, most critics agreed she just didn’t have the pipes for a show that comes alive in its musical numbers. It’s a different stance than some of Michele’s [other former colleagues](https://www.avclub.com/glees-samantha-marie-ware-to-lea-michele-you-made-my-1843857016) have taken, but one Feldshuh is stalwart in. She’s very good for the community.”

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Image courtesy of "Variety"

'Funny Girl' Star Tovah Feldshuh on Sharing the Stage With Lea ... (Variety)

Tovah Feldshuh's role as Mrs. Brice in "Funny Girl" marks her 50th year on Broadway.

I change into the beginning of my costume and go to the stage to warm up my body and voice. She threw her arms around me and said, “I have loved your work all my life.” She started to name my theater credits. Sometimes I go to bed at 2 in the morning. I put my mask on and my earplugs on and listen to Headspace. I ride my bike to the theater most nights. Had I been in the original production, I would have asked to explore the Hungarian accent. I get to the theater early. And I’m the first actress of the Jewish religion to play this part on Broadway in 60 years. Lea finally got the part she was destined to play in the first place, and she’s brilliant in it.” “I have no interest in reading about or knowing about it,” she says in a way that, nonetheless, suggests she’s acutely informed of the spectacle surrounding Michele. “Had we been cast in the first place,” she says, taking a sip from her mug, “this would not nearly have been as interesting a story.” But there’s a unique thrill to her current role on stage, as the endearing mother of Lea Michele’s Fanny Brice in “ [Funny Girl](https://variety.com/t/funny-girl/).”

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