Hilary Duff is loving Lea Michele in “Funny Girl.”
Duff shared a photo on Saturday, Jan. 7, on Instagram of her friends, including her former “Younger” co-star Molly Bernard, posing with Michele at the August Wilson Theater.
In another photo, Duff took a selfie with the “Funny Girl” marquee outside the theater, as well as snapping a picture at her seat with her playbill and merch for the classic musical.
“Lea, what a treat to see you in this role!” Duff wrote in the caption. “You shine so bright … it was made for you!”
Michele made her “Funny Girl” debut on Sept. 6, 2022, after it was announced that she would be replacing Beanie Feldstein as Fanny Brice. Feldstein, who starred in the 2019 comedy “Booksmart,” cut her time in the production short in July.
The former “Glee” star was met with love and support during the evening of her debut, receiving several standing ovations throughout her performance — including four by the time intermission arrived, with the applause totaling six at curtain call.
Michele’s casting has not been without controversy though.
Feldstein announced on July 10 that she would be exiting the production on July 31, months before she was scheduled to end her run.
“Once the production decided to take the show in a different direction, I made the extremely difficult decision to step away sooner than anticipated," she said in a statement at the time.
Though Michele has history with Brice, most famously singing the musical’s tune “Don’t Rain On My Parade” in an episode of “Glee” and has called the role a “dream come true,” news of her casting was met with criticism due to past accusations of hostile on-set behavior.
The actor addressed the allegations made by her former “Glee” co-stars in a September 2022 interview with The New York Times, telling the newspaper, “I have an edge to me. I work really hard. I leave no room for mistakes. That level of perfectionism, or that pressure of perfectionism, left me with a lot of blind spots.”
“I really understand the importance and value now of being a leader,” she added. “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.”
Since taking over the role, Michele made an appearance as Brice during the 2022 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and will be featured on the album for the Broadway cast's recording of the revival.
In December 2022, “Funny Girl” went on to break a box office record, with eight performances bringing in more than $2 million in ticket sales, also marking the highest gross for the musical’s revival thus far. The previous record holder for the theater was the “Mean Girls” musical in 2018.