It's official: Lea Michele will soon star in "Funny Girl" on Broadway.

The "Glee" actress is set to follow Beanie Feldstein in the first Broadway revival of the beloved musical, which centers on the legendary Jewish vaudeville star Fanny Brice. Feldstein will depart the production at the August Wilson Theatre on July 31, two months earlier than previously announced. Fanny Brice standby Julie Benko will play the titular role from Aug. 2-Sept. 4 as well as on Thursdays beginning Sept. 8. Michele will assume the role on Sept. 6, alongside Tovah Feldshuh as Mrs. Brice, Ramin Karimloo as Nick Arnstein and Jared Grimes as Eddie Ryan.

With music by Jule Styne and lyrics by Bob Merrill, "Funny Girl" loosely follows the life and career of stage and screen comedian Brice, and her tumultuous relationship with her gambling businessman husband, Nick Arnstein. This Broadway production, directed by Michael Mayer, features a revision of Isobel Lennart's book by Harvey Fierstein; Mayer and Fierstein previously teamed for a hit London revival of the musical, starring Sheridan Smith.

Feldstein — who made her Broadway debut in a scene-stealing Minnie Fay in 2017's "Hello, Dolly!" revival — was initially set to exit "Funny Girl" on Sept. 25. That date would also be the final bow for Jane Lynch, who plays Brice's mother in the musical. Lynch, however, will not be working with her former "Glee" co-star; she will now leave the production slightly earlier, on Sept. 4, and Feldshuh will play Mrs. Brice alongside Michele.

"Once the production decided to take the show in a different direction, I made the extremely difficult decision to step away sooner than anticipated," Feldstein announced Sunday on Instagram.

"Playing Fanny Brice on Broadway has been a lifelong dream of mine, and doing so for the last few months has been a great joy and true honor," wrote the "Booksmart" and "American Crime Story" actress in her post. "I will never forget this experience, and from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank every single person who came to the August Wilson for the love and support you have shown me and our amazing cast and crew."

Playing Fanny Brice onstage has always been a tall order. (After directing the original 1964 Broadway production, Garson Kanin wrote a 1980 novel that was loosely based on this very casting ask, and said bestseller then became the 2012 TV show "Smash.") The role famously launched Barbra Streisand into superstardom; she then reprised her Tony-nominated performance in the 1968 film (and won an Oscar) and also followed with the 1975 sequel "Funny Lady."

Casting an actress who can work in Streisand's long shadow, or can entertain audiences who still remain devout to Streisand's definitive take on its beloved score, is a task that has previously paused producers from remounting the show on Broadway. The revival received only one Tony nomination, for featured actor Jared Grimes — a disappointing haul for what had been a high-profile project.

"I appreciate Feldstein's unique self and have no desire to hold her up against Streisand's impossible standard. But 'Funny Girl' is a gigantic haul, and though she bravely acquits herself, she never makes the role her own," wrote L.A. Times theater critic Charles McNulty. "Feldstein has a mobile face and a knack for pratfalls, but she's not yet a master clown. And her singing is a mixed blessing. She can belt 'Don't Rain on My Parade' with enough power to bring the audience ecstatically to its feet at the end of the first act, but her nonbelting voice rarely gains traction."

The "Funny Girl" lead is a gig that Michele has attempted to manifest for years. The "Spring Awakening" breakout performed the musical's standout number "Don't Rain on My Parade" multiple times on "Glee," as well as the Fox show's corresponding live tour, her own concert sets and even at the Tony Awards.

According to the New York Times, Michele had tried to get attached to the various plans for a revival over the years; at one point, "Glee" creator Ryan Murphy nabbed the rights and had hoped to replicate the onscreen plot — of Michele's character Rachel Berry starring in "Funny Girl" on Broadway — in real life.

"A dream come true is an understatement," Michele wrote on Instagram. "I'm so incredibly honored to join this amazing cast and production and return to the stage playing Fanny Brice on Broadway."

This marks Michele's return to Broadway since exiting "Spring Awakening" in 2009. She first started acting in Broadway's "Les Miserables," "Ragtime" and "Fiddler on the Roof," and followed a six-season run on "Glee" with the short-lived TV shows "Scream Queens" and "The Mayor."

"Funny Girl" will also be Michele's first major role since reports of her troubling behavior made headlines in 2020. After actress Samantha Marie Ware accused Michele of subjecting her to verbal abuse and "other traumatic microaggressions" on the set of "Glee," she issued a statement of apology and largely remained out of the press. (That is, until the release of HBO's "Spring Awakening" documentary earlier this year, followed by numerous appearances at Broadway openings and the Tony Awards last month.)

Internet users have poked fun about Feldstein and Michele's reactions to various "Funny Girl" developments: Michele's name trended on Twitter when Feldstein's casting was announced last August and was heavily meme'd when Feldstein's performance was met with critics' lackluster reviews in April. But the behind-the-scenes drama of recasting the onstage comedy is no joke.

"If lea performs in that musical and yall go see her i will never let yall live it down that yall dont give a f— about black women and their experiences in this industry," tweeted "Oklahoma!" actress Sis on Sunday night.

"idk about y'all but so many people celebrating the idea of a plus size queer actor being replaced by an actor people say is a terror to work with and ... feels real gross to me," tweeted Backstage social media manager Katie Minard.

NEW YORK — A member of “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” pleaded guilty Monday to a fraud conspiracy charge that could result in a prison sentence of over 11 years.

Jennifer Shah, 48, of Park City, Utah, entered the plea to a single count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in Manhattan federal court after signing a plea agreement with prosecutors a day earlier that carries a recommended sentencing range of 11 to 14 years behind bars.

She told a judge that beginning in 2012, she participated in a massive telemarketing fraud for nearly a decade that prosecutors say cheated thousands of people nationwide, including some over age 55.

She said she knew that she was teaming up with others to market products to people “that had little or no value."

“I knew this was wrong and that many people were harmed and I’m so sorry," Shah told Judge Sidney H. Stein.

Sentencing was set for Nov. 28. Shah remained free on bail but did not speak as she left the courthouse and walked a short distance to a waiting vehicle.

In a statement afterward, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams called Shah a “key participant in a nationwide scheme that targeted elderly, vulnerable victims."

He added: “These victims were sold false promises of financial security but instead Shah and her co-conspirators defrauded them out of their savings and left them with nothing to show for it."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kiersten Ann Fletcher said Shah acted as a “lead broker," directing what sales workers said to their victims and sharing in illegal profits, using some of the money to pay for the New York City apartment where she lived and for other personal items.

As part of her plea agreement, Shah agreed to forfeit $6.5 million and to pay $9.5 million in restitution.

Fletcher said Shah engaged in a fraud from 2012 to March 2021 that sold bogus services that were promoted as capable of enabling people to make substantial amounts of money through online businesses.

Prosecutors said Shah and others delivered lists of people to purchasers of the “Business Opportunity Scheme" that actually consisted of others who had previously paid to create their own online businesses.

They said she lied about how much individuals could earn after buying the businesses services and the purported success of others who had bought the services.

Shah began operating a Manhattan-based sales floor that sold the fraudulent products, Fletcher said.

From 2018 to 2020, Shah controlled the day-to-day operations of the Manhattan operation and moved some of its operations to Kosovo to dodge law enforcement and regulatory scrutiny, the prosecutor said.

Prosecutors said Shah took various steps to hide her role in the fraud, including by incorporating her business entities using third parties' names, instructing others to do the same and directing others to use encrypted messaging applications to communicate with each other. They said she also made numerous cash withdrawals structured to avoid currency transaction reporting requirements.

Fletcher said Shah told one co-conspirator to lie under oath when questioned by the Federal Trade Commission and provided him with written talking points to follow during the deposition.

She added that tax returns showed Shah had underreported her proceeds from the fraud by hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Shah also acknowledged during her plea that she had undergone treatment two years ago for alcohol and depression.

He’s not joking about this.

Jon Stewart squashed rumors that he might run for president in 2024 in a single tweet Saturday.

“Ummm…No thank you,” the 59-year-old funnyman wrote after getting a series of requests.

The Stewart theory was part of a silly cycle initially sparked by rumors that Fox News host Tucker Carlson might run. Carlson has previously said he has no interest in running for president.

A blog posted Friday suggested that Stewart would be the perfect Democratic antidote to Carlson, prompting his Saturday response.

Stewart then drew attention to Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., shutting down a veterans health care bill before the Independence Day congressional recess.

“But while I have your attention, could all of you (including news orgs) please ask Pat Toomey why he is single-handedly stalling a veterans health care bill that passed (with) huge bipartisan support over a technicality?” Stewart wrote. “Asking for 3.5 million friends.”