Cynthia Erivo and Lea Michele lead starry red carpet at opening of Gypsy revival on Broadway

Cynthia Erivo and Lea Michele led the star-studded red carpet at the Broadway opening of a buzzy new revival of Gypsy on Thursday.

Since it first opened in 1959 with Ethel Merman as its star, the show has been widely regarded as one of the greatest musicals of all time.

An array of stage icons have led productions in New York and London, including Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly, Bernadette Peters, Patti LuPone and Imelda Staunton.

Now Audra McDonald has stepped into the role of domineering stage mother Mama Rose, becoming the first black woman to play the part on Broadway.

Her opening performance was seen by a dazzling array of showbiz figures, including Cynthia and Lea, who both initially became famous in musical theater before achieving even greater stardom on the screen. 

Fresh off the box office triumph of her new movie Wicked: Part One, Cynthia, 37, cut a commanding figure in an eye-catching ensemble.

Gypsy is based on the memoir of the real-life Gypsy Rose Lee, who rose to become a nationally famous stripper in America during the Great Depression.

Her gimmick was to strut around the stage teasing the audience that she was going to disrobe - only to eventually remove nothing but one of her gloves.

Although Gypsy Rose Lee, whose real name is Louise, is one of the main characters of the show, the lead role is that of her egomaniacal mother Rose. 

The musical features lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, music by Jule Style and a book by Arthur Laurents, and was originally directed for Broadway by Jerome Robbins.

Tailored to the talents of its original leading lady Ethel Merman, the show opened on Broadway in 1959 and became an instant classic. 

Mama Rose has become one of the most coveted roles for an actress in musical theater - and now Audra, a reigning current star of Broadway, is fronting a revival at the freshly refurbished Majestic Theater.

At Thursday's opening, Cynthia modeled a loose-fitted white blouse she left untucked over her fashionably faded jeans, wrapping a thick grey coat over the look.

Sporting a strikingly long set of nails, she added a splash of glitz to the look with a gleaming pair of silver heels, a necklace and a set of hoop earrings.

Cynthia found time on the red carpet to mingle with Tovah Feldshuh, 75, a longtime fixture of the Great White Way with four Tony nominations to her name. 

Lea - who was acclaimed for a Broadway revival of another Jule Style musical, Funny Girl, playing a role originated by Barbra Streisand - was also on the red carpet.

The 38-year-old is recently welcomed her  second baby by her businessman husband Zandy Reich, with whom she already shares her son Ever, four.

Wearing her sleek curtains of dark hair down, the Glee star sharpened her unmistakable features with makeup including nude lipstick.

She attended the opening on the arm of Jonathan Groff, who became a Broadway star with her in the 2006 musical Spring Awakening.

Jonathan complemented Lea's look, arriving in a midnight blue tuxedo with black lining that matched the t-shirt he wore underneath.

Alec Baldwin, 66, posed hand in hand with his wife Hilaria, 40, ahead of the premiere of their upcoming reality show on TLC next month.

Legendary supermodel Iman exuded her unmistakable glamour in a leopard print trouser suit with a bold sheen that flashed under the lights.

Her outfit was perfectly fitted to her enviably willowy frame and featured a neckline that dipped far enough to hint at her taut midriff.

The 69-year-old widow of David Bowie wore her hair down to frame her agelessly luminous complexion as she strode the red carpet.

Scrubs star Zach Braff radiated a youthful charm at 49, hitting the red carpet in a rust-colored suit worn dashingly without a tie.

Jordan Roth, whose company owns five Broadway theaters but not the Majestic, modeled a head-turning black suit with flared pink sleeves, plus full makeup.

Rosie Perez lent the affair a touch of Christmas cheer with snowflake metal-work on her dress, while Lin-Manuel Miranda went ultra-casual in a t-shirt and cardigan.

The fashion industry was also well-represented at the Gypsy opening, where Anna Wintour could be glimpsed posing with Michael Kors. 

Billy Eichner wore a stylish camel-toned coat, while Laverne Cox bared her toned midriff in a daringly cut peekaboo gown.

RuPaul's Drag Race alum Peppermint cut a scene-stealing figure in a skintight black jumpsuit as she struck a saucy pose with Younger actor Dan Amboyer.

Tony-winning actor Jeffrey Wright meanwhile turned the opening into a family outing, sweetly bringing along his 19-year-old daughter Juno.

The pair could be seen striking a pose with White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, the first black lesbian to hold the position.

Frasier legend David Hyde Pierce was unrecognizable behind his grey-tinged beard as he arrived alongside his longtime husband Brian Hargrove.

TV legends were out in force on the red carpet, where Fame actress Debbie Allen hobnobbed with Phylicia Rashad of The Cosby Show fame.