Lea Michele and the cast of Funny Girl had the perfect Thanksgiving treat for us all. The Broadway ensemble performed a sensational rendition of “Don’t Rain On My Parade” at the start of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 24.
Lea and her crew started out at the Upper West Side for a previously recorded part of the performance. Suddenly, they were in front of the Macy’s department store in Midtown Manhattan. Lea changed the lyrics of the classic song to say “Mister Macy’s.”
Lea usually takes a break on Thursdays from Funny Girl, but she couldn’t resist performing at one of New York City’s most iconic annual events. The day after Thanksgiving, Lea and the cast will be right back on stage for a doubleheader.
The Glee alum made her debut as Fanny Brice back in September 2022. She earned rave reviews for her performance. Lea idolizes Barbra Streisand and famously performed “Don’t Rain On My Parade” during the Sectionals episode of Glee season 1.
“I want to say thank you whole heartedly for the support following my first performance on the broadway stage as Fanny Brice. I know I’ve said it before, but joining this cast has truly been the greatest honor. I am so grateful to every person involved in this production,” Lea wrote on Instagram after her opening night.
Just days before the parade, the Funny Girl cast recording was released. “This is the biggest dream come true for all of us. I am so proud of this show and can’t wait for you all to hear this album,” the actress wrote on Instagram after she made the announcement on stage following one of the Funny Girl shows.
HollywoodLife spoke EXCLUSIVELY with Lea’s best friend, Jonathan Groff, about his words to Lea ahead first performance. “I was texting that morning, I was driving up from Pennsylvania where I live, my mom and I were coming up to see her,” he told HollywoodLife EXCLUSIVELY at Disney’s D23 Expo. “And I said, ‘it feels like Christmas morning.’ And we FaceTimed the night before, and I said, ‘It feels like Christmas Eve.’ Like when you’re in anticipation of the big day.” The night of Lea’s performance, Jonathan said “we watched a girl become a woman in front of our very eyes.”