Tuesday, May 19, 2026

Broadway: Lea Michele Is Taking the Day off from “Funny Girl” to Get Ready for Her Big Night at the Tony Awards

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This is what I call dedication!

Lea Michele, who’s been playing Fanny Brice on and off since last September, is skipping today’s performances of “Funny Girl.”

Why? She’s preparing, resting, and getting geared up for tomorrow night’s Tony Awards. She’s leading her company though a bunch of their famous songs on the CBS show beginning at 8pm.

Julie Benko, her ever reliable and quite talented standby, is taking over Fanny’s part today for matinee and evening.

Benko has been plugging away since the show opening in spring 2022 when she was filling in all the time for Beanie Feldstein.

“Funny Girl” didn’t receive any major Tony nominations last year when it was eligible. But it rebounded with Michele when she arrived last September, and will play through this September when she leaves. Benko is going on to another musical.

Meantime, it looks like all the actual Tony nominees will be performing both of their shows today.

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Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009 and previously edited Fame magazine and wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. is articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

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