Lea Michele cancels Broadway ”Funny Girl” appearances following positive Covid test

Glee‘s Lea Michele has cancelled Funny Girl performances, it has been confirmed.

Michele, who received six standing ovations for her debut in the new Broadway revival of the beloved musical, posted an update over the weekend on her Instagram story.

In it, she confirmed: “Unfortunately, I have officially tested positive for COVID. In following production protocols, I cannot return to the theater for 10 days. Thankfully staying home today and catching this early protected so many members of our company from being exposed. Funny Girl has been and still is tackling a tremendous wave of COVID with close to a dozen company members currently out. We are almost on the other side of this and our swings and understudies are doing such an incredible job to keep our show on its feet.”

Performances will continue in Michele’s absence. Julie Benko will be taking on the role until Sunday 18 September, before Michele returns on 20 September.

Back on Broadway for the first time in 58 years, Funny Girl features a classic score by Tony, Grammy, and Academy Award winner Jule Styne and lyrics by Tony nominee and Grammy Award winner Bob Merrill. The original book by Isobel Lennart is revised by Tony winner Harvey Fierstein.

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