If you look through my Her Campus author page, it will become immediately evident that there’s nothing I’m more passionate about than Broadway. There’s nothing I could spend longer talking, writing, or thinking about than the magic of live theatre. Between COVID-19 shutdowns and leaving my performing days behind in high school, it had been too long since I last saw a live performance. I hadn’t realized it until now, but there’s certainly been a curtain-call sized hole in my life.
For Broadway fans, the news circulating the Funny Girl revival was rather inescapable over the summer. If you did happen to escape it, let me be the first to enlighten you: Beanie Feldstein was originally cast in the role, but when the reviews of her rendition of the iconic Fanny Brice began to sour, there were talks of Lea Michele taking over—who had performed many Funny Girl songs on the hit television show, Glee. I grew up with a devotion to Glee that some would call religious. It’s still my favourite show, but in the peak of my musical theatre performance career, I was always after a Rachel Berry-like gold-star quality. So, when rumours began to fly about Lea Michele taking over the role of Fanny Brice, I was star-struck at the thought. I monitored the Broadway news outlets and social media sites until it was finally announced, and I knew one thing—I had to get to New York.
I was lucky enough to escape to New York for a few days before classes began with my childhood best friend. I could add pages on the romanticism of New York City, filled with anecdotes of “the city that never sleeps”, the electricity of the hustle and bustle, and of the subtle promise the city grants you to make all your dreams come true. For me, the magic of New York comes down to the theatre district: the Mecca for young musical theatre performers where the glow of marquees up and down Broadway can turn doubt and fear into drive and ambition. Even after years away from performing on stage, I felt this. However, it was nothing compared to the feeling I got when Miss Lea Michele commanded the Funny Girl audience with her first, “Hello, Gorgeous”.
The two-and-a-half hours I spent in the August Wilson theatre were nothing short of electric. The performance was undoubtedly exceptional. The sets were beyond impressive, the energy of the ensemble was tangible, and the entertainment value was unlike any other show I’ve seen. But my appreciation for this production is deeper than admiring its thrilling aspects—it felt like a hug to my 12-year-old self, who idolized Rachel Berry’s giant gold star. It felt like a sigh of relief for my inner theatre kid, who I may have been neglecting a little too much. It was a dream come true and a pertinent reminder of how much musical theatre can fill my soul.
Seeing Funny Girl was a thrill that I’m still recovering from, but in the meantime, I urge you to support the arts and the most artistic side of yourself. Bask in your ‘nerdiest’ obsessions, whether that’s Broadway or something else. Musical theatre will always be an inseparable part of who I am, and I’m so lucky to have been reminded of that at Funny Girl.