Constance Grady — Theater Critic

Michele proved she had the vocal chops to pull off a convincing Streisand dupe way back in her Glee days, where she covered a series of Funny Girl songs in performances that tended to ape Streisand's distinctive phrasing and pronunciations. ('The sun's a ball of buttah,' anyone?) Now, at 36, she still has the pure, supple tone that made her a TV star, but she's acquired the gravitas and confidence it takes to move past mimicry. She can interpret stone-cold classics like 'People' and 'I'm the Greatest Star' with a technique that nods to Streisand without copying her beat for beat, and her belt on 'Don't Rain on My Parade' fills the theater.

Michele proved she had the vocal chops to pull off a convincing Streisand dupe way back in her Glee days, where she covered a series of Funny Girl songs in performances that tended to ape Streisand's distinctive phrasing and pronunciations. ('The sun's a ball of buttah,' anyone?) Now, at 36, she still has the pure, supple tone that made her a TV star, but she's acquired the gravitas and confidence it takes to move past mimicry. She can interpret stone-cold classics like 'People' and 'I'm the Greatest Star' with a technique that nods to Streisand without copying her beat for beat, and her belt on 'Don't Rain on My Parade' fills the theater.