Lea Michele Celebrates Her 'Don't Rain on My Parade' Tony Awards Performance: 'I've Waited My Whole Life'

The actress took the stage on Sunday to perform the song from 'Funny Girl' despite being ineligible for awards.

Lea Michele finally had the moment that she and Rachel Berry have been waiting for!

On Sunday, the singer took the stage at the 76th Annual Tony Awards at the United Palace Theater in New York City, where she performed "Don't Rain on My Parade," from the Broadway musical Funny Girl, in which she plays Fanny Brice.

Following the performance, Michele took to Instagram to celebrate the moment which garnered a standing ovation from the Tonys audience. 

"I thought a lot about what to say for this post. There’s so much to say. But the simple truth is that.. I’ve waited my whole life for this moment. An actual dream come true and an unbelievable honor to finally be Fanny Brice at the Tony Awards. 🌹," the 36-year-old wrote next to an image of her in costume belting out the final line of the song.

Michele knew someone else who would be proud of the moment -- and took to her Instagram to give her a special shout-out. 

"Somewhere Rachel Berry is smiling. ❤️ @thetonyawards tonight! @funnygirlbwy," she captioned a picture of her holding Fanny's bouquet during rehearsals. The post was in reference to her Glee character, who had an obsession with Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl in the Fox series.

Michele and the cast of Funny Girl took the stage at the ceremony to perform, despite her ineligible status, as replacements do not qualify for most stage and theater honors. 

Funny Girl's closing performance during Sunday's awards ceremony comes as Michele begins the end of her run as Fanny Brice. Michele took over the role from Beanie Feldstein in July. Funny Girl is slated to close Sept. 3 after 599 total performances of the production. 

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