Lea Michele has briefly pulled out of Funny Girl on Broadway due to displaying early signs of Covid.
The Glee actress for her portrayal of Fanny Brice in the musical, which she debuted in this month.
Lea who left the production early since the team wanted to take the show ‘in a different direction.’
Now, her portrayal of the role made famous by Barbra Streisand on stage and screen has been going down a treat but she’ll be taking some time out from her dream job this week.
The actress confirmed the news in a statement issued to her fans, writing: ‘I’m devastated to say that due to early signs and symptoms of Covid and an inconclusive test result, due to the production’s safety protocols I’m not allowed to perform in today’s shows’.
She continued in her Instagram Story, shared on Saturday: ‘I will be testing again and will know more about tomorrow’s performance soon.’
Lea explained that Julie Benko – who usually performs every Thursday – would take her place, assuring her followers that she ‘is going to crush it as Fanny’, as are ‘all of our amazing understudies’.
The American star concluded by praising her fellow cast members for ‘stepping up incredibly’ over recent days while the theatre battles ‘a very intense Covid outbreak’.
Funny Girl first opened in Broadway back in 1964, with the iconic Streisand as the lead.
The show was nominated for a multitude of awards, including eight Tonys and has continued with roaring success over the years.
Lea joined the cast along with Tovah Feldshuh this month, with Tovah playing Mrs Brice after Jane Lynch also stepped down from her role earlier than expected.
According to , the 36-year-old has already received a staggering six standing ovations after taking to the stage, with fans supposedly on their feet at the August Wilson Theatre before she could even utter Fanny’s iconic opening line ‘Hello, gorgeous’, on her first night.
Lea previously described the big role as a ‘dream come true’ and seemedto have manifested it rather well, after her Glee character Rachel Berry actually went on to star in Funny Girl on Broadway too after graduating.
Maybe it was meant to be, given that Lea also spent much of Glee’s six seasons belting out tunes from the show.
