Lea Michele has gotten Jane Lynch's stamp of approval.
Michele—who was recently confirmed to be joining the Broadway revival of Funny Girl—will be replacing Beanie Feldstein as Fannie Brice, while Tovah Feldshuh will take on Lynch's role of Mrs. Brice. Lynch—who is leaving the musical comedy at the end of the month—shared her thoughts on her former Glee co-star being cast.
"We have been in touch about it," Lynch shared with Deadline July 12. "You know, it was just a really strong idea to have Feldshuh and Lea premiere together. That's the only reason [we won't appear together.]"
She added, "I adore her. She's just going to take this show and make it her own. I'm so glad she's getting the opportunity in real life to do the show and not just on Glee."
Following the news that Michele would be joining Funny Girl in September, the actress shared her excitement about landing the role.
"A dream come true is an understatement," she wrote in a July 11 Instagram post. "I'm so incredibly honored to join this amazing cast and production and return to the stage playing Fanny Brice on Broadway. See you September 6th. @funnygirlbwy #FUNNYGIRL."
Michele's casting announcement came less than one day after Feldstein announced that she was leaving the Broadway musical earlier than expected.
"Playing Fanny Brice on Broadway has been a lifelong dream of mine, and doing so for the last few months has been a great joy and true honor," the Impeachment: American Crime Story alum wrote on Instagram July 10. "Once the production decided to take the show in a different direction, I made the extremely difficult decision to step away sooner than anticipated."
While she did not elaborate in her statement further, she shared that her final performance for Funny Girl will be at the end of this month.
"I will never forget this experience and from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank every single person who came to the August Wilson for the love and support you have shown me and our amazing cast and crew," Feldstein continued. "The people I have had the great joy of bringing to life with every night, both on and off the stage, are all remarkably talented and exceptional humans and I hope you continue to join them on Henry Street after I depart on July 31st."