May 2, 2023 7:04 am ET
May 2, 2023 7:04 am ETCredit…Left: Caitlin Ochs/Portal; Right: Donavon Smallwood for The New York Times
Lea Michele has been one of Broadway’s biggest stars since last fall, when she stepped in as Fanny Brice in a troubled revival of Funny Girl and helped turn the tide of the show. She is ineligible for a Tony Award because actress Beanie Feldstein originated her role in this run, but she will announce the nominations with Myles Frost, who won a Tony for his role as Michael Jackson in “MJ” last year has.
Since taking on the role, Michele, the former “Glee” star, has received rave reviews and has returned fully into the stars’ lives after facing a wave of criticism from former colleagues who publicly accused her of bullying .
In a profile in The New York Times last year, Michele discussed those allegations and talked about stepping into a dream role and returning to Broadway. (She said she doesn’t mind not being eligible for a Tony, saying, “It’s just about being able to play that role.”)
Her fellow actor Frost won a Tony last year at the age of 22 for his performance as Jackson in the biographical jukebox musical MJ. Frost made his final appearance in the role last month.
Frost was yanked out of college life and became a Broadway star after the original lead left the project. Before that, his only stage experience was in a trio of high school musicals, but a video of him performing “Billie Jean” at a high school talent show caught the attention of his acting coach and led to the career-building role as Singers and singers dance like the King of Pop.
In last year’s Times profile, Frost spoke about his first audition, trying to impersonate Jackson without impersonating him, and taking on such a complex role in the shadows of allegations that Jackson had sexually abused children.
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