Lea Michele says one voice pushed her toward her Broadway return — and it belonged to her on-screen mother Idina Menzel.
People magazine reports that Michele, 39, took on the role of Florence Vassy in the revival of Chess after hearing Menzel perform one of the show’s most iconic numbers.
“I heard Idina Menzel sing [the Chess number] ‘Nobody’s Sides,’ and I said, ‘I have to sing that song every single night,’” Michele told the outlet at the show’s opening-night afterparty in New York City.
Menzel, 54, previously played Florence in a 2008 London concert production, long before she appeared as Michele’s biological mother on Glee. That connection made the role feel even more personal, Michele said.
The actress also noted how many of her former Glee castmates are currently lighting up Broadway. “I mean, Jonathan [Groff]'s here with me tonight, and I talked to Darren [Criss], and I'm so excited for Kevin [McHale],” she said. “Glee has the most incredible cast with … talented people, so it makes sense that we would all be here.”
Groff is starring in Just in Time, Criss is appearing in Maybe Happy Ending, and McHale is headlining The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee off-Broadway.
Despite the demanding schedule, Michele said the role feels like “a true gift.” As a mom of two, she acknowledged the challenge of leaving home nightly but added, “I get to do what I love and I get to sing these songs that I'm so inspired by working with a cast that I'm so inspired by.”
