Will Lea Michele star in a 'Friends' Broadway musical?

Jenifer Aniston says Jewish-American star of 'Glee' would make the "perfect" Rachel Green for possible stage show.

By LAUREN IZSO
Lea Michele (photo credit: REUTERS)
Lea Michele
(photo credit: REUTERS)
Rumors have surfaced that everyone's favorite laugh-out-loud sitcom, 'Friends,' may be on its way to the stage, and Jewish-American actress, Lea Michele, has been pegged as a possible cast member, RadarOnline reported last week.
Michele, who began making headlines when she landed the lead role of Rachel Berry in 'Glee' now in its fifth season, may be in line to play a singing Rachel Green, the role originally made famous by Aniston.
Although there have been rumors in the past that the sitcom would be made into a feature film, the project never succeeded because fans were skeptical that the show's signature humor wouldn't come across well on the big screen.
The stage, however, is a different ballgame.
“Jen has told friends that Glee singing powerhouse Lea Michele would make the perfect Rachel in this project, and it simply becomes a matter of convincing Jen’s good friend, Warner Bros. executive Peter Roth, of the viability of the idea," the Hollywood gossip website reported a source close to Aniston as saying.
The source added that Aniston is taking complete credit, calling the 'Friends' musical her "billion dollar idea."
If the rumors are true, this won't be Michele's first role on the Great White Way. She has been playing in Broadway productions since childhood, however in 2006 when she landed the lead role in Spring Awakening, her career really took off, leading to her casting in 'Glee.'
She recently suffered a tragic loss when her previous boyfriend and 'Glee' co-star Cory Montieth died from a drug overdose. In the following months, Michele  used the tragedy for creative inspiration, and launched her first studio album, Louder, debuting fourth on the Billboard 200. She also is expected to release a book in May.
The actress, who goes by Lea Michele publicly, was originally Lea Michele Sarfati, but decided to remove her Jewish last name at an early age for fear of constant mispronunciation.