Lea Michele has been one of the biggest stars on Broadway since last fall, when she stepped in as Fanny Brice in a struggling revival of “Funny Girl” and helped turn around the show’s fortunes. She is not eligible for a Tony Award, because the actress Beanie Feldstein originated her role in this run, but she will announce the nominations with Myles Frost, who won a Tony last year for playing Michael Jackson in “MJ.”
Since stepping in to the role, Michele, the former “Glee” star, has received rave reviews and a full return to the trappings of celebrity life after facing a wave of criticism from former colleagues who had publicly accused her of bullying behavior.
In a profile in The New York Times last year, Michele discussed those allegations and spoke of stepping into a dream role and returning to Broadway. (She said she didn’t mind being ineligible for a Tony, saying, “It’s just about being able to play this part.”)
Her fellow announcer, Frost, won a Tony last year at the age of 22 for his performance as Jackson in the biographical jukebox musical “MJ.” Frost played his final performance in the role last month.
Frost was plucked out of college life and dropped into Broadway stardom after the original lead actor left the project. Before that, his only stage experience was in a trio of high school musicals, but a video of him performing “Billie Jean” at a high school talent show drew the attention of his acting coach, and led to the career-making role singing and dancing like the King of Pop.
In The Times’s profile of him last year, Frost discussed his first audition, seeking to embody Jackson without impersonating him, and taking on such a complex role in the shadow of allegations that Jackson sexually abused children.
