Say "hello, gorgeous."
We have a first look at Lea Michele starring as Fanny Brice in Broadway's Funny Girl revival—and, naturally, these pictures are the rose of sheer perfection.
In one of the images, first shared by Entertainment Weekly, Michele sports the character's signature coat and hat along with a brunette wig. In the second—a preview of the new art direction for Michele's run—she gasps dramatically, holding a large yellow flower on top of her head. The rose replaces the massive yellow bow that served as the center of previous star Beanie Feldstein's poster.
"I was speaking with Harvey Fierstein, whom I adore, about my first performance on Tuesday," Michele told EW. "He asked how I was feeling about this big night coming up. I told him I'm feeling, 'Over the moon and so nervous at the exact same time.' He told me, 'That's called being alive, and to live in that feeling.' It was the perfect advice." Fierstein, best known for his Broadway work on shows like Hairspray and Torch Song Trilogy, is the book writer on the production.
"This is such a dream come true for me," Michele added. "And I cannot wait to take the stage on Tuesday as Fanny Brice on Broadway."
Michele will hit the stage alongside Ramin Karimloo as Nick Arnstein, Jared Grimes as Eddie Ryan and Tovah Feldshuh as Mrs. Brice, after Michele's Glee co-star Jane Lynch left the role on Aug. 16.
Michele took over for Feldstein after the original star stepped down from the role sooner than expected, saying that production "decided to take the show in a different direction." Feldstein had previously struggled with negative reviews of her performance, with The New York Times calling her performance "not stupendous."
Ahead of her debut, Michele recently opened up about allegations of her being a bully on the Glee set.
"I really understand the importance and value now of being a leader," she told the New York Times in an interview published Sept. 1. "It means not only going and doing a good job when the camera's rolling, but also when it's not. And that wasn't always the most important thing for me."
Catch Michele as the pip with pizazz (and ginger and jazz) when she starts performances Sept. 6.