Barbara Cook Event Coming Up Monday 6/27

And I keep reading you title as Barbara's Cook Book Signing. My first thought was, "I don't believe Barbra Streisand COOKS!"

dramamama611 said: "And I keep reading you title as Barbara's Cook Book Signing. My first thought was, "I don't believe Barbra Streisand COOKS!""

I glanced at the thread title and read it as Barbra's Cook Book signing, too.

My copy arrived in the mail this morning, pre-ordered on amazon.com.

Only 237 pages, but she covers much. The strained relationship with her mother, the years of being broke, her alcoholism and her affair with Arthur Hill while she was still married are all included. So glad she wrote extensively about Wally Harper, who reinvented her in the 1970's.

I attended tonight's concert and I have to say it was one of the most special nights of my life. It started with a surprise tribute to Ms. Cook, with the cast of She Loves Me, then Norm Lewis, and Kelly O'Hara all performing different songs. Then they finally brought Ms. Cook up on the stage (she was sitting off to the side, watching the tribute, and it took 4-5 men to lift her wheelchair up).



She rambled on for a good 10-15 minutes before singing the first song, much to the visible dismay of the band. But every story she shared was perfect, and sprinkled with profanity. She sang a handful of songs, only forgot an occasional lyric, and was in decent voice. She did crack a few times when trying to sign the higher notes, but it is easy to forgive at her age. You could tell she was honored to be there, and so proud of having written her memoirs.



At the end, she announced she was going to sign copies of the book after the show, so I decided to join the line. She had people come up to her dressing room floor, where she was signing and taking pictures with all who stopped in. She was very kind and would talk to everyone for as long as they wanted. She's a real class act, and I truly think it was an honor to be in that room tonight.

Just finished the book and can't recommend it highly enough... Would be an amazing memoir even if it had nothing to do with theatre, just for the honesty and candor with which she writes about life's challenges, from growing up poor during the Depression to divorce to paralyzing addiction and the struggle to finally overcome it. But of course, the theatre stuff makes it a must-read for anyone on this board... wonderful stories about Robert Preston, Mary Martin, Sondheim, etc etc.... The minute detailing of her journey with "Glitter and Be Gay" from the time of learning it for her auditions, the terror she felt about it through rehearsals, and finally how she learned to grapple with it in performance is an amazing chapter in and of itself. Loved the book and so happy to have it!