Yentl — Page 2

YENTL makes a good signature, because of all the squiggles. It's great to scribble it hundreds of times over

---

Well duh, Tovah is too old. We're discussing her in this thread because she was the star of the ORIGINAL. If you read the full thread before posting, you would have been able to figure that much out.

---

Updated On: 8/17/04 at 09:18 AM

First of all, I love Barbra Streisand!! To all of you who think she was to old, I think you are wrong! Barbra did a fabulous job acting, directing and singing in that film! I loved it and she is a spectacular actress and person!

WOW. I do a random search for Yentl and I find this current thread...

I spent three years of my life developing th efilm of Yentl as a stage musical!

The music from the film was by Michel Legrand and Alan and Marylin Bergman. It was a late addition to the film and was actually Alan Bergmans idea. Barbara didnt want any music in the film - but it wasnt working so they tried adding some..

Michel, Alan and Marylin thought it was their best stuff ever...

But of course all the songs are sung by Yentl - which wouldnt work on stage SO...

I pursuaded the composers to write a stack of new songs for the stage.. There was to be a new book too.. Yentl was going to be played by Maria Freedman and it was going to open in London...

But we couldnt raise the money - even after ENORMOUS efforts to combine the rights and get the film company to agree to let us do it.

In the end the rights went to a succession of different producers - none of which could finance it. I lost a great deal of money on it - but I'd still do it if I could get it bankrolled. I have no idea who has the rights now...

By the way - as a stage musical it was going to be called "A Piece of Sky"...

If anyone can afford a few million to finance it - I'll get it back together for you!

Regards,

Limey

(Peter Byard)

I am (I know you didn't ask, but I answered anyway )

It took 15 years to bring YENTL to the big screen. The statement that ..."It was a late addition to the film and was actually Alan Bergmans idea. Barbra didnt want any music in the film - but it wasnt working so they tried adding some.." is not true at all. It was decided pretty early on that for it to be successful, people expcted Barbra to sing. She actually went to make the pitch to the studios with a demo tape of her singing some of the songs (Some of it even appears on her compilation, "Just For The Record". ), and that's how they got the deal.

And I wanted to add something about the fact that all the songs are sung by Yentl. The musical is supposed to take place inside her head- that's why you never see her flat out singing out loud, except when she's alone - it's always in her head when there are other people around (except for the end, which signifies the change in her). The songs are her internal voice, and therefore she is the only one singing.

---

Updated On: 8/22/04 at 03:41 AM