Even before making it big on Fox’s hit Glee, Lea Michele was already a bona fide Broadway star, thanks to 2006’s Spring Awakening. No wonder the theater world is anxious to get her back on the boards. One non-profit theater company in New York has gone so far as to create a show with Michele in mind, the New York Post reports. Reed Prescott, executive director of the New York Theatre Barn, confirms that the brunette belter helped inspire their new musical “Speargrove Presents,” based on a real-life incident in which a town blocked a high school production of “Rent.” He chatted with EW’s Simon Vozick-Levinson about the about the project — and explained why Michele is the best woman for the job:

EW: What can you tell us about the role?
Prescott: It’s the role of Caroline Bonds. It’s a role that’s similar to what she plays on Glee — the queen bee of the high school drama club…. People from the community rewrite the show and take her song out, so she quits the show, which gets misconstrued as a big political move…. At this big school board meeting, she speaks up for herself, and they end up doing a concert of the show at a different location.”

EW: Why Lea?
Prescott: Well, because she has Broadway chops, clearly. She’s actually attended some of our events in the past. We just always had it in mind.

EW: Have you reached out to Lea yet?
Prescott: We haven’t done any hardcore reaching out yet. We’re in the first stage, putting it together a reading.

There is, of course, the little matter of Michele’s insane schedule, as she continues to shoot and promote Glee. Isn’t she way too busy to take on a stage role? Her rep did not return requests for comment. Prescott, meanwhile, remains optimistic. If she says no, “we’ll reach out to someone else,” he says. “But ultimately, we would love Lea Michele.”

source:  http://news-briefs.ew.com/2010/02/22/glee-star-lea-michele-inspires-new-musical/