The Daily Show: Ears Edition - Lea Michele's Return to Broadway in "Funny Girl"

Episode Date: February 11, 2023

Actress and singer Lea Michele shares what it's been like living her dream of playing Fanny Brice in "Funny Girl," why she decided to return to Broadway after 15 years of acting in L.A., and how her life is different now as a wife and a mother. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Finding great candidates to hire can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. You might get a lot of resumes, but not enough candidates with the right skills or experience. But not with Zip Recruiter. Zip Recruiter finds amazing candidates for you fast. And right now you can try it for free at Zip Recruiter's smart technology. Sip Recruiters' smart technology identifies to the talent for your roles quickly. Immediately after you post your job, zip recruiters powerful matching technology starts showing you qualified people for it, and you can use zip recruiters pre-written invite to apply message to personally reach out to your favorite candidates and encourage them to apply sooner.

Ditch the other hiring sites and let zip recruiter find what you're looking for, the needle in the haystack. Four out of five employers who post on zip recruiter get a quality candidate within the first day Try it for free at this exclusive web address zip recruiter dot com slash zip Zip recruder the smartest way to hire You're listening to Comedy Central I'm so happy for you this is so cool. Oh. And you're just nailing it. You're so good. Oh, so good. Thank you. I went, I went, I, how many people here have seen Funny Girl?

Okay, well not enough. You all need to see this play. I went to your play last night and I have to say it was one of those classic Broadway experiences that I haven't had in a few years. You are incredible. Thank you. And there are a lot of people who are famous but you are really really talented. I really appreciate that. Yeah I was well obviously it's hard work but it takes a lot of talent to even execute that. I mean there's dancing they're singing you're funny. You th. You th. You their th. their their their their. their. their. their. I their. I their. I their. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I to th. I th. th. I to to to to to to to to to to to to thea. I th. I thea. I th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. t. ta. ta. ta. ta. ta. to. ta. to. to. to. I to. to. to. to. to. I to. to. to. to. to. ta. ta there's dancing, they're singing, you're funny, it's a comedy. I was so nervous because I heard you might be there and then I saw you and I was, like, anybody who's just like, you know, and I'm so funny and so gifted in the way that you are, like, you and Chris Rock are the two people I was the most nervous having in the audience. Oh, well, that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's that's thi. Well, thi. Well, thi. thi. thi. I's thi. I's th. I's th. I's their their their their their their their their their their the most the most the most the most the most the most the most the most the most the most the most the most the most the most the most the most the most the most the most the most the most the most the most the most the most. I their their their their. I's. I's. I's. I's. I's. I's. I's. I's. I's their. I's their. I's their. I'm. I'm. I th. I t. I t. I t. I t. I t. I t. I t. I t. I t. I t. I th. I th. I th. I the th. I th. I guess. I mean I have to tell you when I got up during intermission I

went to go get a Diet Coke and and everyone was coming up to me like every gay person in the feeder was coming up to me to tell me how amazing they're like I love that. They're like can you believe it? How amazing is she? And I'm like, I'm not her mother. Everyone send all of your comments and concerns and everything to Chelsea. She speaks for me now? Yes, yes. D&M me at Ellen DeGeneres. That's a good bit. So I know that you came into this play while it was already up and running.

So I have to know like how long it took you to prepare for this. And what, what, I mean, the schedule must be. It's an unbelievable schedule. And anybody anybody anybody, anybody, anybody on Broadway is working so incredibly hard. It's eight shows a week. I do seven shows a week. I had, I think, something like six weeks to learn everything. It's about 15 songs, 22 costume changes, something like 7 to 10 wig changes. It's a lot. And mid my rehearsal process, I was told that I had to start sooner than I, than I thought. And so it was a really intense experience, but I th. It. I the th. I the th. I the th. I the th. I the th. I the the th. I thi the thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thea thi thi thi theateateate process I was told that I had to start sooner than I than I thought and so it was a really intense experience but I did feel as prepared as I could for my first night I just wanted to make all the quick

changes happen and not walk on stage naked that was like my biggest yeah yeah it's just so much fun to watch I was sitting there and I was with my niece on one side and a friend of mine on the other side and I was with my niece on one side and a friend of mine on the other side, and I was just smiling so hard, like my cheek, like I was on ecstasy or something. I was like, oh my God, this is so joyous. And everyone, and you got so many standing ovations in the middle of your songs. Like, that's so beautiful to see for a performer. It's by far the time of my life. That's nice, because last time I saw you, I haven't seen you in a few years. I know.

And the last time since I've seen you last, you've got married and had a baby. Yes, I know I have a husband and a baby and it does, it's a, you know, leaving my son, he was just two when I started the show and it's hard, to be a to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to the the to the the the the the to the to the to to the to to to to to the the to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the. the tieu. te. te. te. te. try. te. to. try. I. the last. the last. I's the last. I the last. I's hard for any parent going to work But we I literally went from being home every single day to then going to work and being at work all the time And it's tough, but there is something also so amazing about coming home and like having that family life That I never had while I was working. Yeah, yeah Yeah, grounding and I'm so grateful for it. Well, that's great because I'll never know what that feeling that feeling is. Oh, come on. No, I mean, by choice. Move to New York. Well, we were talking about it. Yeah, well, I've never lived in New York City. I feel like, the vibe here is good. It is good.

It is good. It is. It is. Maybe that's the key. You know? the- I did. I did my first Broadway show when I was eight years old, totally unplanned. I just kind of walked into it, and then I continued working

until I was 23. And then I left to go to LA and I did, you know, glee out there and other TV shows And it was the pandemic that brought us home, because this is where our families are. And yeah, I'm back on Broadway after 15 years. And it's wild, having been gone for so long and jumping back into this schedule. And you know, when you're doing television, you're doing new material every day, it's a new script, it's a new storyline. This is the same thing every day. And there's something as an artist that's really exciting about that is like how do you make that new and how do you how do you bring your own excitement to it every night? How do you? I mean it's it really depends on how

I'm feeling I'll have a day where I'm in a really upbeat mood and I lean into the humor and that really is what gives me the the energy and then there are days when I need to kind of work some stuff out and that and that's what I lean into more the emotion and the drama.. the drama. that's. th. that's. th. that's I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. I'm. that's I'm. that's what I'm. that's what I'm to to to to to to to to to to that's what I'm to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to that's to that's to that's what I that's what I that's what I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I the. the. the. the. the. the. the. theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. theeeeeeeeeeeeee. theeeeeeeeee. the. It what are you saying to yourself? Like, what does a person say before you walk out into a theater like that big having to perform for that? Don't f-up? Yeah. Yeah. Dear God, please God, you should see me before the show.

I'm like, praying. I'm like, oh my God. But I also think, like, if there is a show to mess, to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to to the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the to., the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the te., the the tto the to to to to mess up by like this is the one because it's like I feel so comfortable turning to the audience and just being like well here we go that didn't work out let's try it again from the top but it's it's there's nothing like it's nothing like live theater and and I love it so much this honest dream come true that so many people have known that I've I really th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th th the th th the th th the th the th th the th. th. th. th th. I still still still still still th. I still th. I still the the the thi thi the. I still the. I the. I the. I the. the. I the. I the. I the. I the. the. the the the. the the. the th. th. th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I the th. I the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. I the true that so many people have known that I've really waited so long to play this part. And the fact that I'm doing it, it's still, every single night I'm like, I cannot believe. I'm doing this and that people are enjoying it and it's the most incredible cast of incredible hardworking actors and performers and we really have fun in the midst of doing what is a very challenging job and making an album in the midst of also doing all of our shows and having it

do so well is is just another great gift. Yeah well good for you everybody needs to go see Funny Girl it's playing now on Broadway at the August Wilson Theater. Explore more shows from the Daily Show from the Daily Show podcast universe by searching the Daily Show wherever you get your podcast. Watch the Daily Show weeknights at 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10 the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the Daily Show Podcast Universe by searching The Daily Show, wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the Daily Show weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central and stream full episodes anytime on Fairmount Plus. This has been a Comedy Central podcast.