In advance of Lea Michele finally making her "Funny Girl" Broadway debut on Sept. 6, the show has released a sneak peek at her transformation into Fanny Brice.
After weeks of learning the steps and songs to the 1960s musical, Michele can be seen in a black feathered hat, short brown hair and dark robe-like garb with a stitched nature design ready to take the stage.
Another photo of Michele, which resembles a Playbill, depicts the former "Glee" star in black and white, looking surprised with a bright, yellow flower atop her head. Ramin Karimloo, Jared Grimes and Tovah Feldshuh are billed, along with Michele, above the words "Funny Girl," written in red.
Karimloo and Grimes are continuing their roles as Nick Arnstein and Eddie Ryan, respectively, while Feldshuh will replace five-time Emmy Award-winning actor Jane Lynch as Rosie Brice, Fanny Brice’s mother.
Michele is taking the place of Beanie Feldstein, who wrote in an Instagram post on July 10 that she would be leaving the production after producers "decided to take the show in a different direction."
“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 29-year-old actor wrote at the time. “Once the production decided to take the show in a different direction, I made the extremely difficult decision to step away sooner than anticipated.”
In a 2017 interview on "Watch What Happens Live," Michele said she was "ready" to take on the role of Brice after she sang several songs from the musical as Rachel Berry on "Glee," including one of her most memorable performances, "Don't Rain on My Parade."
After Feldstein was cast as Brice in the "Funny Girl" return, Michele's name was trending on Twitter.
Despite Lynch leaving the show, Michele’s “Glee” co-star said in an interview released in July that she’ll still be cheering her on.
“I adore her. She’s just going to take this show and make it her own,” Lynch told Deadline. “I’m so glad she’s getting the opportunity in real life to do the show and not just on ‘Glee.’”
The 62-year-old actor also touched on her leaving the show before having the chance to perform once again with Michele.
“We have been in touch about it,” she said of Michele. “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).”
Since joining the show, Michele has shared rehearsal clips and other behind-the-scenes photos, including a re-creation of an iconic "Glee" moment.
On Aug. 5, Michele shared two photos on Instagram. The first features her standing in front of the August Wilson Theatre, looking over her shoulder, with “Funny Girl” appearing on the marquee.
She also posted a throwback photo of herself in a bright purple coat in front of similar "Funny Girl" signage, a callback to a moment from "Glee."
“A dream come true,” she captioned the pictures, accompanied by a red heart emoji.
Since then, the Emmy Award-nominated actor has shared several other photos leading up to her debut, including another picture in front of the "Funny Girl" marquee showing Michele hugging her longtime friend and fellow actor Jonathan Groff. The two co-starred in "Spring Awakening" and were love interests on "Glee."
She later posted footage of her learning a dance for Brice, as well as recently sharing three photos inside the theater with the caption, "4 days till Fanny..."
