Lea Michele has been tapped to step in and lead the Broadway revival of the beleaguered Funny Girl.

The announcement was made just hours after current star Beanie Feldstein revealed she was leaving the musical sooner than anticipated due to the show taking a "different direction".

The high-profile casting change represents another step toward a return to the spotlight and respectability for Michele after former Glee cast mates in 2020 accused the actor of racist and bullying behaviour.

Michele, who started her career on Broadway and starred in the original Spring Awakening, recently returned to the work with the documentary Spring Awakening: Those You've Known.

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In many ways, her ascension to playing Ziegfeld Follies comedian Fanny Brice — the role Barbra Streisand famously played — was foreshadowed by Michele singing several Funny Girl songs during the run of Glee.

After the show's formal announcement, Michele hailed her next career step, saying "a dream come true is an understatement" on Instagram. She did not mention Feldstein.

Broadway is usually known for its quiet, seamless transitions after A-list stars depart shows — in part to protect multimillion-dollar shows — indicating that the backstage machinations at Funny Girl have been strained at best.

In an extraordinary step, Booksmart star Feldstein said on social media that while playing the heroine of Funny Girl was a "lifelong dream", she could no longer continue due to choices by producers and would leave early, on July 31.

"Once the production decided to take the show in a different direction, I made the extremely difficult decision to step away sooner than anticipated," she wrote.

She originally planned to depart the show on September 25.

Her Instagram post was notably liked by Broadway veteran Ramin Karimloo, who plays Brice's love interest in Funny Girl and is staying on.

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Fanny Brice stand-by Julie Benko will perform the title role from August 2 until September 4, with Michele taking over from September 6.

Feldstein has missed several performances in recent weeks, including a weekend matinee, and last month missed a string of shows due to a positive COVID test.

AP