Jane Lynch reacts to Glee costar Lea Michele's Funny Girl casting: 'I adore her'

Jane Lynch isn't raining on Glee costar Lea Michele's parade.

The actress formerly known as Sue Sylvester celebrated Michele's casting in the Broadway production of Funny Girl, telling Deadline Tuesday that she and her fellow Glee alum have discussed the role, seeing that she currently portrays Mrs. Brice opposite Beanie Feldstein's Fanny Brice in the 2022 revival.

The Only Murders in the Building star, however, will depart the show in early September, squashing all hopes of a Glee reunion at New York's August Wilson Theatre. "We have been in touch about it," Lynch said. "You know, it was just a really strong idea to have [Tovah] Feldshuh and Lea premiere together. That's the only reason [we won't appear together]."

Lynch continued, "I adore her. She's just going to take this show and make it her own. I'm so glad she's getting the opportunity in real life to do the show and not just on Glee."

Michele's character on the Fox series, Rachel Berry, also had an obsession with the production and performed several tracks from it, including "Don't Rain on My Parade" and "I'm the Greatest Star."

Feldstein, who assumed the role in April, announced earlier this week that she would depart the production sooner than expected, on July 31 rather than her previously announced September 25 departure date. Feldstein made the "extremely difficult decision" to step away once "production decided to take the show in a different direction," she said on social media.

Feldstein's understudy, Julie Benko, who earned rave reviews when she stepped in during the star's brief absences, will fill in during the period between Feldstein's July 31 departure and Michele's September 6 arrival.

The first Broadway revival of the musical since its 1964 debut with Barbra Streisand in the starring role, Funny Girl was one of most anticipated shows of the season, but it faced humdrum reviews, particularly Feldstein's performance.

"It's hard to escape the feeling that Feldstein, for all her fourth-wall winks and bright enthusiasm, is fundamentally miscast," EW critic Leah Greenblatt wrote in her review. "This Girl needs a force majeure, not a light breeze, to make it sing."

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