Lea Michele is down with the flu again after a COVID-19 test turned out positive again. She will then have to miss out on a week of performances on Broadway's "Funny Girl" because of this.
Michele is due for her last curtain call in September 2023 as "Funny Girl" closes its short lived run on Broadway despite its massive box office hit, after the star's involvement on the project.
Lea Michele Tests Positive For COVID-19 Again
In a press release by the official Instagram account of "Funny Girl" on Broadway, an update for the week's performance was posted.
"Unfortunately, Lea Michele has tested positive for Covid. She will be out of this week and will return on Tuesday, May 23rd," the statement reads. This would be the second time that Michele missed out on performances because of the virus.
With Michele absent, fan favorite understudy Julie Benko, who had been flying under the radar since Beanie Feldstein was Fanny Brice will fill in for the majority of her absences. She will play Fanny from Monday to Thursday and Saturday to Sunday. Meanwhile, Ephie Aardema will play the Friday slot as Fanny Brice.
Despite the acclaim that Benko has been receiving since playing the understudy for Lea Michele. A Deadline report says that the production "traditionally experiences steep declines" at the box office whenever Michele is absent.
After suffering from a major loss since casting Beanie Feldstein initially as Fanny Brice, Lea Michele taking over the role was nothing but a triumphant redemption arc for the production. According to the Box Office, "Funny Girl" became one of Broadway's highest earners in the past few months.
Just last week alone, the show earned over $1.6 million.
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'Funny Girl' Closing Date on Broadway
According to the company, "Funny Girl" is set to take its final bow on Sep. 3, 2023, almost at the same time when Michele joined the cast.
Without Michele joining the cast, the show would have been canceled and shut down earlier because of poor box office turnouts following Beanie Feldstein's poor reviews from critics. Thanks to Michele, the production has raked in more sales which led to its extension.
Shortly after the production closes, a national tour will be put in motion but not with Michele as Fanny.
By the time it closes, "Funny Girl" would have performed a total of 599 performances and 30 previews.
Check out "Funny Girl's" Official Broadway Cast recording here:
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