Play all audios:
Lea Michele is joining other celebrities in showing her support for Beanie Feldstein following the news that the _Booksmart _star has been cast as the lead of the upcoming _Funny Girl
_revival on Broadway. Feldstein, 28, shared the announcement on her Instagram page last week, captioning her post, "I went to my third birthday party dressed as fanny brice so sometimes
dreams actually come true 🥺🥺🥺." In the comment section below, various stars celebrated the good news, including Michele, 34. "Yes! YOU are the greatest star!" the _Glee__
_alum wrote. "This is going to be epic!!" Michele had previously expressed an interest in appearing in a _Funny Girl _revival. The musical was also an integral part of
Michele's character on _Glee, _Rachel Berry. Rachel sings "Don't Rain on My Parade" during season one and later goes on to star in the Broadway revival after graduating.
During a 2017 appearance on _Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen__, _Michele responded to a fan question about whether she would ever appear in _Funny Girl. _ "I hope so, I really
hope so," she said at the time. "We were thinking of doing it right after _Glee_ but I did a lot of the songs from _Funny Girl_ on _Glee_ so it felt like a little soon, but I feel
really ready to do it now so maybe we could do it soon." However, a source tells PEOPLE that Michele turned down the role years ago when _Glee _creator Ryan Murphy was involved in a
potential revival, "mainly because she thought what was done on _Glee _was everything she could have brought to the role." Since then, current producer Michael Mayer obtained the
rights and "wanted to take the character in a different direction," the source adds. "Lea has always supported his creative thoughts and thinks Beanie is the perfect person
for the production." _NEVER MISS A STORY — SIGN UP FOR__ _PEOPLE_'S FREE DAILY NEWSLETTER__ TO STAY UP-TO-DATE ON THE BEST OF WHAT PEOPLE HAS TO OFFER, FROM JUICY CELEBRITY NEWS TO
COMPELLING HUMAN INTEREST STORIES._ Other stars who reacted to Feldstein's casting on her Instagram post included Melissa Benoist, who wrote, "Oh my goodness this is
amazing!" Added _Bridgerton_'s Nicola Coughlan, "I'm booking tickets immediately." The upcoming revival marks the first time _Funny Girl_ has returned to Broadway
since Barbra Streisand originated the role in 1964. "The first time I played Fanny Brice was at my third birthday party, in a head-to-toe leopard print outfit my mom made for me,"
Feldstein said in a release last week. "So, it's safe to say that stepping into this iconic role, on Broadway and not in my family's backyard, is truly my lifelong dream come
true." She added, "I am immensely grateful to be able to do so alongside such a remarkable creative team, and cannot wait for audiences to get back in theaters again!"
Performances of _Funny Girl_ are expected to begin in spring 2022, with a Broadway theatre to be announced.