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Good morning, Broadway! On Friday morning, Lea Michele and her fellow castmates on Funny Girl took the stage on Good Morning America to perform “Don’t Rain on My Parade.”
“Fanny, you’re making a fool of yourself!” one character told Michele’s Fanny. “I love the guy and I want to be with him. This is what’s right for me,” Michele adds.
She then breaks into song: “Don’t tell me not to live, just sit and putta/Life’s candy and the sun’s a ball of butter/Don’t bring around a cloud to rain on my parade.”
The number slowly transitioned into a full solo as Michele showcased her stellar vocals, leading the crowd to erupt in applause.
“It’s such a thrill to be a part of the Broadway community. To return home. I love it so much… it’s a dream of a lifetime to be in Funny Girl,” Michele said after the performance, later adding, “We would all be so thrilled” if Barbra Streisand — who originally played Fanny — came to see her perform.
“She made Funny Girl what it is,” Michele said.
The performance comes about a month after she took over the role from Beanie Feldstein in early September, living the dream of her former Glee character Rachel Berry. Michele performed the song as Rachel in 2010 on Glee and later in 2018 as a rendition at the Tony Awards.
Earlier this week, she went on The Tonight Show to perform the show’s tune “People.” She also spoke about her return to Broadway.
“I’ve been wanting to come back to Broadway for so many years, I was gone for 15 years, Spring Awakening was the last show I did,” Michele said. “To be back and to be in the show that I’ve loved for so many years, but I’m such a fan of this production. Incredible cast. Incredible score.”
Michele and Fallon then discussed Michele’s character on Glee and how Rachel had a similar Funny Girl arc.
“Now I’m doing it,” Michele said. “I’m 36 now, and the story of Funny Girl spans through the course of many years. You see her love and her loss and her failures and her successes and becoming a mom and a wife.”
She added, “I feel like at this point, being where I am right now, it’s just perfect. Timing is everything, and I am so grateful.”