BARBRA? tribute Sondheim???

[Claudia Draper]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 12:55pm

https://pagesix.com/2021/11/29/barbra-streisand-may-sing-stephen-sondheim-tunes-at-grammys-2022/amp/

I say no way. But, it would be great. A melody with SOMEWHERE as a closer.  But she is now the Laziest Star.. 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 12:56pm

That would be incredible. Something about her version of “Send in the Clowns” has always made it my favorite version ever. 

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 1:04pm

Claudia Draper said: "https://pagesix.com/2021/11/29/barbra-streisand-may-sing-stephen-sondheim-tunes-at-grammys-2022/amp/

I say no way. But, it would be great. A melody with SOMEWHERE as a closer. But she is now the Laziest Star.."

Sadly, her voice is now shot to Jupiter.  Her choice of never taking vocal coaching or warming up her vocal cords now show their effect.  This is why she now has wisely chosen to go into her recording archives and releasing music she recorded decades ago but never included on any of her albums.  They have turned out enormously successful and it has kept her relevant, so we can expect more in the future.  If she DOES sing at the Grammy’s, I think it will be in a video montage using her older recordings when her voice was sheer Streisand.  Montage with old vocals then an onstage spoken tribute.  

[KFC1991]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 1:17pm

Barbra still has plans to record and wanted to record new tracks for her last album but feared being in a studio during COVID-19. She's still a great singer and despite huskiness still sounds better at 79 than poor Judy sounded at 39. 

[Bettyboy72]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 1:28pm

I saw Barbra on her last tour and while her vice has changed, she still sounds wonderful. It's sad that there isn't appreciation for an aging voice. It's terrible that singers get labeled as "shot" once they don't sound like they did in their 30s. People say Bernadette's voice is shot, Barbra is shot and so on and so on. Personally, I liked Whitney Houston's voice at the end of her life. It had the huskiness and lost some power, but she could still phrase and style a song beautifully. The public is unforgiving. I would have really liked to hear Whitney approach standards or jazz and unearth new depth and beauty in her recordings and performances. Damn shame we lost her. 

I'd love to hear Barbra sing on the Grammys. She records all her tours, even the recent ones for Broadcast, so I don't think she harbors any shame about her current singing. 

[darquegk]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 1:30pm

I almost feel I can’t weigh in because I’m neither gay nor Jewish (it almost feels like cultural appropriation), but my favorite Send in the Clowns is Tom Jones. He has such an interesting voice, and he’s one of the few singers who has gone from an idol to a washed-up punchline and worked his way back up. The love song is metaphor for the career retrospective and vice versa, and not everyone has lived as widely and up and down as Desiree has in the story.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 1:34pm

darquegk said: "I almost feel I can’t weigh in because I’m neither gay nor Jewish (it almost feels like cultural appropriation), but my favorite Send in the Clowns is Tom Jones. He has such an interesting voice, and he’s one of the few singers who has gone from an idol to a washed-up punchline and worked his way back up. The love song is metaphor for the career retrospective and vice versa, and not everyone has lived as widely and up and down as Desiree has in the story."

 

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 1:51pm

I’d imagine if she wanted to, she could prerecord something with vocals “fixed” to play during the show. There’s not much they’d say “No” to her doing. 

[BWAY Baby2]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 2:07pm

Barbra is- and always was- a perfectionist. At 79- a live performance is probably not something she wants to risk. In the studio, with several takes, she might be satisfied with a performance- and hopefully will continue to record. But, live performing, I bet, is a thing of the past.

[binau]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 2:57pm

In my view there is only one person who should be giving this tribute. Look at the various tweets of stars to Sondheim and I can't see a single person with more likes between Streisand, Audra, Patti etc. Surprisingly the twitter verse seem to know who is a big deal in Sondheim land. Singing "Not a Day Goes By" or even "Send in the Clowns" by Sondheim's muse on the main stage would be the most respectful thing to do. 

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 3:18pm

Bernadette would be awesome, but let's be honest, it's going to be by whatever star is biggest that remotely connects to him and/or that style of music. We came close when Patti and Ben performed that one year, but Grammy tributes can be a mixed bag. (I love Madonna, but I'm trying to get that tribute to Prince out of my ears.)

[pmensky]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 3:23pm

Angela should do it.

[Tag]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 4:08pm

The Grammys have strayed so far from anything that is classic or of a Barbra/Sondheim sound.  I'd say this isn't the venue for a Sonheim tribute anymore.  Save her for the Tonys.

[pmensky]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 4:17pm

Tag said: "The Grammys have strayed so far from anything that is classic or of a Barbra/Sondheim sound. I'd say this isn't the venue for a Sonheim tribute anymore. Save her for the Tonys."

They still do stuff. Jusr in the past few years we’ve seen Patti do “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina,” a full production number of “I Sing the Body Electric,” and Ben Platt sang “Somewhere.” 

[Theatrefanboy1]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 5:48pm

I would love a medley of Sondheims muses : patti, Bernadette, Barbra, Angela, and Donna Murphy in a medley of not a day goes by, ladies who lunch, send in the clowns, children will listen, not while I’m around. It would be brilliant. 

[sng]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 5:57pm

I think the Oscars will be more likely. Either she or Rachel Zegler will sing Somewhere in the in Memorium I'm sure

[Jordan Catalano]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 6:32pm

I’m guessing at some point next year we get a massive Actors Fund type benefit concert honoring Sondheim and that’s where all those names will perform.

[StylishCynic]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 7:33pm

Barbra, in my opinion, isn’t the muse to celebrate Sondheim and his music on such a grand stage. Of course, network suits are only tho going if ratings…

Bernadette is the muse. Although I’d love the opportunity to unite all of his women again and feature Patti, Donna, and Audra. 

Streisand and Sondheim weren’t particularly close. Sondheim’s private letter correspondance with Arthur Laurents were famously aired when Laurent’s made them available to the Library of Congress, and Sondheim shared some less than stellar opinions of who Streisand came to be after becoming a household name. That alone should disqualify her as a forefront choice. 

[pmensky]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 8:24pm

Something that may also be important to consider with Barbra is that she is an actual Grammy winner with 10 Grammy awards including a Lifetime Achievement and a Legend award. 

[KFC1991]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 8:24pm

StylishCynic said: 

Streisand and Sondheim weren’t particularly close. Sondheim’s private letter correspondance with Arthur Laurents were famously aired when Laurent’s made them available to the Library of Congress, and Sondheim shared some less than stellar opinions of who Streisand came to be after becoming a household name. That alone should disqualify her as a forefront choice."

What were some of his less than stellar opinions? Is there a link available? 

They might not have been close but their colab was magical. I'd prefer Bernadette but it's not like the Grammys are trying to get Ariana Grande or some such. 

[Auggie27]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 8:29pm

I agree that it's Peters' place. I love so many covers, including many of Streisand's, but when I heard of the tragic passing, I went straight to Bernadette's "With So Little to be Sure of." 

[StylishCynic]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 9:52pm

KFC1991 said: "StylishCynic said:

Streisand and Sondheim weren’t particularly close. Sondheim’s private letter correspondance with Arthur Laurents were famously aired when Laurent’s made them available to the Library of Congress, and Sondheim shared some less than stellar opinions of who Streisand came to be after becoming a household name. That alone should disqualify her as a forefront choice."

What were some of his less than stellar opinions? Is there a link available?

They might not have been close but their colab was magical. I'd prefer Bernadette but it's not like the Grammys are trying to get Ariana Grande or some such."

I won’t include the specifics here out of respect for the dead, but a simple Google search of Sondheim Barbra Streisand Letters should pull up the article. 

[SpiritualGangster]

Posted: 11/30/21 at 11:06pm

KFC1991 said: "StylishCynic said:

Streisand and Sondheim weren’t particularly close. Sondheim’s private letter correspondance with Arthur Laurents were famously aired when Laurent’s made them available to the Library of Congress, and Sondheim shared some less than stellar opinions of who Streisand came to be after becoming a household name. That alone should disqualify her as a forefront choice."

What were some of his less than stellar opinions? Is there a link available?

They might not have been close but their colab was magical. I'd prefer Bernadette but it's not like the Grammys are trying to get Ariana Grande or some such."

Sondheim on Streisand

[Ke3]

Posted: 12/1/21 at 10:22pm

StylishCynic said: "Barbra, in my opinion, isn’t the muse to celebrate Sondheim and his music on such a grand stage. Of course, network suits are only tho going if ratings…

Bernadette is the muse. Although I’d love the opportunity to unite all of his women again and feature Patti, Donna, and Audra.

Streisand and Sondheim weren’t particularly close. Sondheim’s private letter correspondance with Arthur Laurents were famously aired when Laurent’s made them available to the Library of Congress, and Sondheim shared some less than stellar opinions of who Streisand came to be after becoming a household name. That alone should disqualify her as a forefront choice."

This is a bit disingenuous. At the beginning of her career is is true that he was not a fan (and according to Arthur the feeling was mutual) but they did become much closer over the years. He changed lyrics for her, wrote additional verses for her, and worked extensively on a movie project with her and Rob Reiner. When he worked on The Broadway Album he said:

“Barbra Streisand has one of the two or three best voices in the world of singing voices,”

Arthur even snarked that when he first introduced them they couldn't stand each other and now you couldn't keep them apart.