Who could do a 'Lady and Her Music" B'way show?

Streisand’s 1999 New Year’s Eve concert TIMELESS was her retrospective concert — not her 1994 concert.

TIMELESS literally opens with a little girl playing her then Streisand takes over and goes thru all the milestones of her career. She even performed sections of her 1962 Broadway debut showstopper “Miss Marmelstein” (in a swivel chair!).

She did songs from her early night club days and went on to cover her entire career up until that point, giving anecdotes of everything she was covering.

Petula Clark

Shirley Bassey

Judy Collins

BrodyFosse123 said: "Debbie ReynoldsandElaine Stritchare honestly the first and only names which popped in my head. They did versions of this type of shows around the country but not on Broadway as far as I know.

Elaine Stritch's AT LIBERTY was indeed on Broadway. It played the Neil Simon Theatre in 2002. She also won a Special Tony Award for it (her acceptance speech was famously cut short).

"

"A girl came up to me and said, 'I wanna be just like you'. I told her to wear comfortable shoes."

Bernadette.

The person has to have enormous talent, a story to tell, and still be able to perform it. I think we have exactly two successes to point to: Lena Horne and Elaine Stritch. The Debbie Reynolds show was actually a flop.

Twenty years ago, Angela Lansbury would have been a great candidate, I think, although -- as much as I have loved her since Mame in 1966 -- I am not sure she would have been as successful as Horne and Stritch, both of whom brought a 'fierceness' to the performance that I think was a significant contributor to their success.

Could someone like Diana Ross do it? Liza Minelli probably has the story, but does she have the stamina, voice, self-awareness to pull it off?

How about Carole King or Cindy Lauper, both of whom have talent, a story to tell, and even big success on Broadway?

Bette would be great; and, let's face it, she wouldn't even have to sing that much...I was always amazed at how little actual singing she did in some of her shows...she was a comedienne, a story teller, etc., as much as a singer.

I think we can expect one from Liza eventually. She’s now starting up her live appearances again but sitting down so whatever she chooses to do from now on will be done in this intimate setting. She did sections of her shows in the past sitting in a director’s chair and sang, what she calls: chair songs. Story telling songs with dramatic arches, etc. She’ll basically tell her life story and sing her trademark songs but in this intimate presentation. They’d used projections to show the material/footage/clips of work she no longer can dance.

Updated On: 6/27/18 at 07:04 AM

I don't know what her voice sounds like these days, but I like Dionne Warwick.

...or maybe what I'd really like to see is a well-written Burt Bacharach tribute; perhaps with an all female cast that featured Ms. Warwick. Similar to how Leader of the Pack was constructed, and how Darlene Love was included in that show(?)

Updated On: 6/27/18 at 09:36 AM

Shirley MacLaine did a show like this when she turned 50 - 1984 - I saw it at the Gershwin Theater - it was a FABULOUS show, a journey through her life and career up to that point...she made great fun of her "past lives" books and fascination with mysticism - she described arduously climbing to the top of a mountain in Tibet, encountering a great holy man sitting cross-legged, in deep meditation. She addressed him and asked earnestly, "O Wise One! What is the meaning of life" She said he responded with a twinkle in his eye: (she began singing) LIFE IS JUST A BOWL OF CHERRIES! DON'T TAKE IT SEROUS! IT'S TOO MYSTERIOUS"! It was a FABULOUS show, and I'll never forget it! :)

http://www.playbill.com/production/shirley-maclaine-on-broadway-george-gershwin-theatre-vault-0000011049

Updated On: 6/27/18 at 12:11 PM

Lena's show A LADY AND HER MUSIC was, in my opinion, in a class by itself. No one knew until this show the magnitude of her singing and performing talent, alternatively wry, contemplative and fierce story-telling...I saw it twice when I first came to NYC (1981-82) and it was indeed Life-Changing!!

As I'm sure anyone reading this knows, Lena's show was originally scheduled to run only 4 weeks, but blasted through the stratosphere and ran over a year and a half, and ended only when she said, "That's enough!" A once-in-a-lifetime event! Glorious....

Thanks from all of us, BrodyFosse123! I also have it on DVD...it's a real treasure, along with the Elaine Stritch - "At Liberty" DVD. Wonderful, wonderful stuff........

Dionne Warwick (one of my all-time favorites) would indeed be a wonderful choice. I also think Gladys Knight would be rather entertaining.

However, both of these women are not known as actresses, didn't have a dual career performing live on stage and on the screen like Horne did. Neither did many others mentioned above (although all good choices). Part of the magic of Horne's story was the new roads her life took from stage to screen and the hurdles she encountered.

I have Stritch's DVD and CD - one of my favorites. Too bad MacLaine's show was years before I visited NYC in search of good theater...