Entertainment
Broadway baby: Lea Michele is back where it all began
In 1965, the original musical “Funny Girl” was playing at Broadway’s Winter Garden Theatre, starring someone who knew her way around a song. That same year, a guy named Joe Allen opened a place a few blocks away. It was the place to be for Broadway stars like Al Pacino and a host of others. Plus, they served a mean cheeseburger.
The cheeseburgers are still there, and so are Broadway’s elite. Lea Michele has been coming here since her Broadway debut in the 1990s. “I just love this place so much,” she said.
And what would she eat? “A burger. I mean, it’s always so good, so good here, oh my God,” she said.
But when we met her at Joe Allen’s, she wasn’t in a burger mood, because she had a show to do. Lea Michele is currently starring in the musical “Chess.” In the show, she plays a brilliant strategist for two world champion chess players (played by Aaron Tveit and Nicholas Christopher).
“Chess: The Musical”
“Chess” is a love triangle, a spectacle, and a chance for the stars to raise the roof at the Imperial Theatre – the same place where Michele made her Broadway debut in 1995 in “Les Miserables,” at the age of eight.
Her parents weren’t show biz people – Dad owned a deli – and before she auditioned, they had no clue their daughter could sing. “And as we were leaving, I turned to my Mom and I was like, ‘I’m gonna get this. I think I’m gonna get this,'” Michele recalled. “And she said, ‘Things like that don’t happen to people like us.'”
In this case, Mom was wrong: Michele got the part, and went on to even greater heights in the musical “Spring Awakening,” and later became a household name in the hit TV show “Glee.”
She hit a few bumps along the way, among them a difficult pregnancy with her first child in 2020, and flak on social media that she acted like a diva back in the “Glee” days. But things looked up in 2023, when she was asked to step into the shoes of her idol Barbra Streisand, and take over a struggling revival of “Funny Girl.”
She said, “I think that we all grow as we get older. It’s hard being in an industry where there is such a spotlight on these phases and times in your life.”
And what was the pressure like to take over “Funny Girl”? It was the first time that I was really sort of in the spotlight after everything that had happened to me personally,” Michele said. “I wanted to finally show everyone that I could play this part, and play her really well.”
Theo Wargo/Getty Images 
Long story short, Michele killed it, and turned a sinking show into a hit, despite suffering a miscarriage during her run. And when she was approached about doing “Chess,” she told producers that having another baby came first. “And so my husband and I ended up doing IVF, which was in its own right very intense and challenging,” she said. “But you know, we got pregnant and had our daughter, who is wonderful and wild. And then they, you know, said, ‘Would you like to do the show?’ ‘Absolutely!'”
Now, the 39-year-old mother of two is back at the Imperial Theatre, where it all began, serving up another knockout performance with a side of gratitude.
I asked, “What do you think that eight-year-old girl would think, back in that same theatre?”
“I think that she’d be so proud, and she would just say, ‘Thank you,’ ’cause that’s all she wanted,” Michele said. “And it’s still what I want. My love for what I do was definitely reignited during ‘Funny Girl.’ And I’m very grateful for that. But I’m so happy to be here, and to be home.”
To hear Lea Michele perform “Someone Else’s Story,” from “Chess: The Musical,” click on the video player below:
WEB EXCLUSIVE: Watch an extended interview with Lea Michele (Video)
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Story produced by John D’Amelio. Editor: Steven Tyler.
Jack Quaid and Claudia Doumit have gone from co-stars to newlyweds.
The couple — who met on the set of The Boys — have reportedly tied the knot in a private ceremony in Australia. According to Australian outlet news.com.au, the ceremony reportedly took place on April 18 at Mona Farm in Braidwood, a quiet countryside location not far from Canberra.
Their reception, held in a marquee on the property, was said to include a star-studded guest list, with names like Meg Ryan, Dennis Quaid, Alec Baldwin, Tom Hanks, Kevin Costner and Henry Golding in attendance.
While the event was kept low-key, glimpses from guests briefly surfaced online, showing the pair celebrating their first dance to Atlantis by Donovan, before the images were later removed.
Doumit wore an off-white satin gown with a ruffled skirt and floral headband, while Quaid opted for a bold red Western-style blazer with gold embroidery.
Several of their The Boys co-stars also showed up, including Karl Urban, Colby Minifie and Nathan Mitchell, marking a full-circle moment for the couple who first connected through the hit series. They were first linked in 2022 after being spotted holding hands, two years after Doumit joined the show.
Karachi Kings won the toss and decided to bat first against Peshawar Zalmi in the 32nd match of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Wednesday.
Babar Azam-led Zalmi have already qualified for the playoffs and sit at the top of the points table. They remain unbeaten in PSL 11 so far, having won seven of their eight matches, with one game abandoned due to rain.
In contrast, Karachi Kings are placed seventh on the points table, with just three wins from seven matches.
Historically, the two sides have faced each other 24 times. Zalmi hold a clear advantage with 16 wins, while the Kings have secured eight victories.
Squads
Karachi Kings: David Warner (c), Hasan Ali, Mohammad Abbas Afridi, Khushdil Shah, Saad Baig (wk), Moeen Ali, Azam Khan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Shahid Aziz, Mir Hamza, Adam Zampa, Hamza Sohail, Aqib Ilyas, Jason Roy, Haroon Arshad, Reeza Hendricks, Ihsanullah, Zahid Mahmood, and Rizwanullah.
Peshawar Zalmi: Babar Azam (c), Sufiyan Muqeem, Abdul Samad, Ali Raza, Aaron Hardie, Aamir Jamal, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Haris (wk), Khalid Usman, Abdul Subhan, Tanzid Hasan, Michael Bracewell, Kusal Mendis, Iftikhar Ahmed, Kashif Ali, Shahnawaz Dahani, Farhan Yousuf, Brian Bennett, Mohammad Basit, and Shoriful Islam.
This is a developing story and is being updated with further details.
Tori Spelling shared a heartfelt remembrance of her former boyfriend, actor Patrick Muldoon, who died suddenly on April 19 at the age of 57.
Spelling dated Muldoon in the 1990s while starring on Beverly Hills, 90210 and he was appearing on Melrose Place.
She took to Instagram to pen an emotional tribute late Tuesday.
“This post took me a couple days. I wasn’t ready to write because then it felt real. And, this shouldn’t be real,” she wrote.
Reflecting on their relationship, Spelling recalled their playful bond and shared memories of singing Grease together at her 22nd birthday party.
“We shared a love of Broncos, guitars, goofing off, playing tag, and Grease! Loved to belt out Grease. I was Sandy to his Danny!” she said.
She praised Muldoon’s warmth and humour.
Spelling revealed they affectionately called each other “f— face.”
“He was special and one of a kind. The kindest most caring human w/ raddest weird sense of humor. We got each other! Laughed a lot! I laughed w/him and at him and he loved it… We called each other F—face ????. That was us!”
Spelling also highlighted his support during her divorce, remembering how he would check in and send her “the worst jokes” to make her laugh.
“He always showed up. And, was a true hype man 4 those he cared about. He was a huge part of my formative 20’s. We went on to be good friends! Still laughing & always caring,” she wrote.
Muldoon’s passing has prompted tributes from many including Denise Richards, who described him as her “best friend & my family.”
Richards’ daughter Lola Sheen also wrote, “When I think of my childhood I think of you Pat. And it’s gonna be so weird to go on without you in our lives.”
Muldoon will be remembered for roles on Days of Our Lives, Melrose Place, and Saved by the Bell.
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