Michele on FUNNY GIRL: 'Of Course Fanny Brice Is Me'

As BroadwayWorld has previously reported, Broadway producer Bob Boyett is endeavoring to revive FUNNY GIRL on Broadway with famed director Bartlett Sher (South Pacific, Awake and Sing, The Light in the Piazza) at the helm. The pair are currently planning a six week out-of-town tryout in late 2011 in preparation for a swift Broadway transfer later that season, according to the report. This would be the first revival of the show on Broadway.  Boyett currently secures the rights.

No additional details are in place yet for the project, however, the pair can count on one Lea Michele to be in line for a 'Fanny Brice' audition, in the hopes of recreating the role made famous by Barbra Streisand in the 1964 original production.  Michele has made little secret of her admiration for all things Streisand and her hope to one day fill the shoes of Ms. Brice.  At a recent Television Critics Association Panel, Michele reiterated this passion when asked if she had been offered the role: "No -- where are the calls? Where are these calls? I mean if you don't know my obsession with Funny Girl ... of course, Fanny Brice is me. I feel very connected to that story."

To read the full report from the Panel as noted by radaronline.com, click here.

Boyett has been noncommital about the Michele option, but has only had complimentary things to say of the songbird. 

FUNNY GIRL has a book by Isobel Lennart, music by Jule Styne, and lyrics by Bob Merrill. The semi-biographical plot is based on the life and career of Broadway, film star and comedienne Fanny Brice and her stormy relationship with entrepreneur and gambler Nicky Arnstein. The musical was produced by Ray Stark, who was Brice's son-in-law via his marriage to her daughter Frances, and starred Barbra Streisand. The production was nominated for eight Tony Awards but, facing tough competition from Hello, Dolly!, it failed to win in any categories.

In the meantime, Michele is enjoying her emmy nomination, announced this morning. She says of GLEE's 19 nominations, including her own:  "When the Golden Globe nominations came out...we were in the middle of filming and we were working, and we were very aware of the things that were coming up...I knew this was coming up but I haven't felt I was in it. Maybe that was good, because I woke up this morning and it was such an awesome shock."