Barbra is no longer Evergreen. — Page 2

...a wonderful actress named Anne Twomy. Sort of a Karen Akers type. I remember the show, too. All in the courtroom.

(I recently went back and looked at my EXECUTION OF JUSTICE program. Small roles were played by Stanley Tucci, Wesley Snipes, and the leads were John Spencer and Mary McDonald. An amazing night; the show closed in a acouple of weeks.)

I'll say no more, or the OT police will pounce.

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I think my favorite movie of hers is, "What's Up Doc?", but that might be because I absolutely adored Madeline Kahn in it. There was such a vibrancy about Barbra in her earlier recordings but somewhere along the line she forgot how to have fun. What a shame.

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Kristie-K and others, I must offer full disclosure: Despite my remarks above re her film lapses, I paid bigtime to see Streisdand at Madison Sq. Garden for the first concert tour, and regretted not a cent. A thrilling evening, when she gave untstintingly and again proved tha not only has she kept her voice supple and expressive, she can put together a whole show that delivers.

I think the show worked BECAUSE she's a control freak -- just as many of her films don't for the same reason. Her assumption that no one knows more than she -- her micromanagement of every detail -- tends to homoginize her movies. They bear the same stamp, and her reluctance to show the other side of her face, seemingly a small thing, speaks volumes. I personally think she'd benefit from trusting collaborators -- giving heself over to someone ELSE's vision. Being an actor for hire, even darng to play supporting parts. Remember when Shirley McLaine played Meryl's mom in POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE? Then did STEEL MAGNOLIAS? Shirley trusted other directors, cinematographers, lighting men, etc and found new energy and range in her career. Can Barbra do that? Could she play a younger star's mom, as Bacall played hers in the otherwise drear MIRROR?

But hey, she didn't ask me.

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Updated On: 12/10/03 at 08:55 AM

Auggie, I was one of the lucky ones who saw Barbras first-night concert at Madison Square Garden (during her FIRST 'Farewell Tour'), and you are right - it was a thrilling evening of song.

But I also was given tickets to two later shows. And not one thing was changed. Not one note. Not one inflection. Not one line in her script. Yes, she sounded magnificent in both those later shows. But they were completely cold and lifeless events, devoid of any passion or connection with her audience. They lacked an essential element of what ones goes to a concert like that FOR.

My dissillusion with her gained great momentum after that.

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You know Master, when I listen to the Madison Sq. Garden concert on CD, I really hear what you're addressing. When the audience sends loving response back at her, she doesn't allow herself to bask in the power of the connection. Seemingly, the reason one performs live -- to communicate. She hurries to shush them (us), as though we're slowing down her pace. We're getting her off schedule. It's a show, not a bus schedule, and she's sharing, not driving. To be fair, she's gone on record, owning her control, and admitting that live performance demands a kind acceptance of sponteneity. Yet she left little to chance, and it's almost sad, the way she can't absorb the love that is returned to her in that concert. Again, this is only obvious on multiple hearings -- we were all happy campers that night. But since we're explicating the Streisand MO, Master's point is very, very relevant.

If she asked me: Id say, her work needs to take her back to the Bon Soir spirit, to find some creative ... spark ... that set her on the road to stardom. She used to try anything and everything to get results. Now, she "knows." It just proves: every artist can trust his or her instincts TOO much.

Every now and then I think (post Brolin) it all means a lot less to her, and perhaps it does. Then I see somethinglike the OPrah appearance, and realize she's hardly down for the count--and not in her own mind. Why doesn't she make a film with the husband? He's no deNiro, but he's ... loose. I'd love to see some of that looseness engage her.

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Barbra has said that she would like to act in a movie that she does not direct, or direct a movie in which she does not act. I think the problem is, Directors may be afraid to hire her as an actress because there is always the threat of her taking over. I'm trying to think who's mom she could play should she take that step...? Jennifer Aniston's maybe. I think Jennifer does sort of look like Barbra did in her "What's Up Doc Era".

I heard that the Mame movie is going through with Cher in the title role and Barbra is Producing it. ?

And for the record, Nuts is one of my favorite movies. I don't care who doesn't like it.

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Ah, in comparing Garland and Streisand (and no argument about one aspect of both: their indescribable voices), there are two differences that immediately spring to my mind.

1. To me, the moniker of "greatest all around entertainer" carries with it the charge of being a triple threat. While Garland was not primarily a dancer, she did dance. Hasn't it been written that she was the only partner Astaire ever had where you watched her instead of him, e.g. "Midnight Choo Choo" in EASTER PARADE? Another example of her skill is "The Portland Fancy" number with Gene Kelly in SUMMER STOCK.

As for Streisand, the only really "dance-y" thing I remember her doing is "Swan Lake" in FUNNY GIRL with Tommy Rall. And that number is so chopped up and edited in the final cut of the movie that it boggles the mind. Also, it was meant to be a parody, and it is. A hilarious parody.

Summarization: Streisand "moves well" (and even that's up for debate), while Garland, when challenged, could rise to the occasion.

2. Garland, to me, exuded warmth when she was in top form in both film and on stage. "Have Yourself...Christmas" in ST. LOUIS is a classic, as are scads of her other movie numbers. Streisand seems to be, for lack of a better word, a more "selfish" performer. Again, not to say she's awful, but the style is just different. In her early TV specials -- heck, even in her recent concerts -- I got the feeling that she was mainly performing for herself, and the audience just happened to be there. Garland, however, was always ALL about the audience.

End of diatribe. I enjoy them both immensely, but if it's "all around entertainer" we're talking about, Garland wins it hands down.

Updated On: 12/11/03 at 08:57 AM

YEAH for Judy! I love her movies. And you're right...when she was dancing with Fred Astair, I focused on what she was doing, not him. Not so much when she danced with Gene Kelly (there it was sort of split between who I would watch), but she really outshone Fred in Easter Parade.
She really was such a triple threat. I couldn't pick a favorite Judy movie if I tried. I love them all so much.
She shows her best singing in "Meet Me in Saint Louis".
She shows her best Dancing in "Summer Stock" and "Easter Parade".
She shows her best Acting in "A Star is Born" "The Clock" and "Judgement at Nuremberg".
And she shows a litte more of her true self in "I Could Go on Singing". I always found it very ironic that this was the title of her last movie ever.

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Updated On: 12/11/03 at 03:21 PM