HER NAME IS BARBRA Bursts out memories of Streisand at Green Room 42

Has the week before Memorial Day been declared Barbra Streisand Week in Manhattan with regular gatherings of members of the Streisand Appreciation Society? It seemed so, with three different cabaret presentations nodding affectionately to the legend, as the performers sang through his repertoire. First there was Kelly Brandeburg’s solo exhibition, My favorite Barbra, May 18, at Green Room 42, reviewed for Broadway World by Analisa Bell – which she described as “epic”. I covered a group show called To Barbra, with love at 54 below on May 23. And the next evening, back at Green Room 42, I covered another Barbra tribute, again a group show. This was titled Her name is Barbra. The three events included “The Way We Were” – which I had also heard earlier in the month in this venue, sung by Hannah Jane actually taking on the role of superstar Streisand in the staged reading of the bio-musical on its composer, Marvin Hamlisch. In the words of the Bergmans, “Memories light up the corners of my mind,” as these events remind me of the pleasures of early encounters with albums, films and television specials, other tribute shows (and see the genuine article in concert at Madison Square Garden).

Tate McElhaney, an unapologetic enthusiast, produced and hosted Her name is Barbrataking his turn solo with a committed rendition of “Being Good Isn’t Good Enough,” a number from the 1967 musical. Hallelujah, baby! It had been recorded by Barbra Streisand many years ago, but was not released until 2012. She later added it to her concert repertoire. Our host’s sister, Savannah McElhaney, was on the bill, with a beautiful version of “A Sleepin’ Bee.” The touching ballad dates back to the beginning of Streisand’s career, with her own rendition being one of the songs that won her first prize ($50 and a reservation) at a talent competition at a Greenwich Village bar when she was 18 years old. in his set and had it as the final track on his debut album.

Perhaps surprisingly, there were no selections from the two musicals Barbra Streisand starred in on Broadway that brought her to fame: I can get it for you in bulk And Funny girl. However, we did get one of the numbers added to the film version of the latter: its title song, sensitively performed by Sarah Pansing, who also dazzled to the rafters at the end of the evening by turning to music of the film. Yentl. Another highlight was a song introduced in the short-lived Broadway musical. Shit ! Cat! by its leading man, Elliott Gould, who had also been the star of….Wholesale and married Barbra. The song was written for his character’s moment when he realizes that a woman he is attracted to seems to feel the same way. “She Touched Me” was changed to “He Touched Me” for Barbra, but Mia Kaplan retained the original female pronouns in the lyrics. She was wow – really beaming as someone feels “such a wonderful urge to celebrate Valentine’s Day”.

The charismatic Antonio Cipriano made “Evergreen” his own and Matthew Saroyan boldly strutted into “How Lucky Can You Get” and seethed with fierce emotion. It was Julia Yameen’s turn to hypnotize herself with her memories by covering the title song of The way we were.

Pianist Matt Levinstein led the small group for Her name is Barbra and the musicians seemed equally at ease with all genres, from warm standards like “For All We Know,” sung by the elegant John Collins, to hot numbers. The sound system sometimes seemed to give more volume and echo than necessary to singers whose voices could easily fill the room with less technological assistance. There were plenty of belters in the show, but the performers had the lung power and panache to carry it, including those who covered the pop, rock and disco numbers attempted by the lady whose “name is Barbra.”

Check out more upcoming shows at Green Room 42 on their website.

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