Last Saturday night, I’m getting ready to go to go out, looking in the mirror, blow drying my hair, singing mmm-mmm- memories light the corners of my mind…. when ZAP, my blow dryer suddenly sparks and begins a speedy, burning, smokey death. Now at any other time in my life, this would be cause for an all out emotional breakdown, but tonight was different. I was going to see my lifelong idol, Barbra Streisand, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Nothing could interfere with my sheer elation. I grabbed my back-up dryer and continued ….misty water colored memories…
I was seven years old when my mother took me to see Hello Dolly (1969). I remember the experience till this day because it was then that my love affair with Barbra began. I thought she was beautiful, funny and had the best voice I had ever heard. (Exactly how many voices had I heard at seven?) About a year later I discovered the soundtrack to the movie Funny Girl. That movie was released before Hello Dolly, but I was too young to see it in the theater. By now I had mastered all of Barbra’s mannerisms and inflections. At eight years old my dream was to someday play Fanny Brice on stage, but until then, I’d just have to save “Don’t Rain on My Parade” for my bedroom mirror. As I got older, my obsession only grew. While other kids were buying Grateful Dead and Rolling Stones albums, I was buying the soundtrack to Yentl. My devotion never wavered. I own every biography ever written about her, VCR tapes of her TV specials and every one of her CD’s. (Originally I had cassettes and had to replace them all with CD’s). They are organized in chronological order in a special case. I don’t have any photo albums or scrapbooks of family vacations, but I have a completely cataloged, preserved shrine to Barbra.
If you know anything about Miss Streisand, you know she stopped doing concerts after her “Happening in Central Park” Concert because she forgot the lyrics and developed stage fright. That was in 1969. Growing up I knew I was never going to be able to see my idol in concert. But in 1994, there was an announcement. Barbra Streisand was going on tour. After waiting 25 years, and at 32 my lifelong dream was about to be fulfilled.
My sister and I were able to get unbelievable seats from someone in the music business. I remember getting to Madison Square Garden and feeling waves of electricity run through my body when I saw BARBRA STREISAND on the marquis. I insisted we arrive early and for about 30 minutes my sister and I were the only ones in the garden. Slowly the fans started to arrive as did the stars. Right now in front of me I have the actual piece of paper that my sister and I used to write down all the stars that we saw arriving. They included Liza Minnelli, Diane Sawyer, Mike Nichols, Meryl Streep, Sydney Pollack, and Harry Bellefonte. The anticipation was palpable.
When Barbra stepped out on the stage, I wept like I had just held my baby for the first time. I can say without hesitation that it was one of the most memorable, important nights of my life. I’ve had the program stored safely away for the last 18 years. I have no idea where the deed to my house is, but thankfully I can get my hands on that program in a moment’s notice.
Which brings me to last Saturday’s concert. I know what you’re thinking….what about the last concert she did about 7 years ago? Well honestly, I didn’t go because I thought it could never live up to the concert I had already seen. Right or wrong it was a decision I made and I have to live with it. But now Barbra is 70 and I couldn’t miss what could be my last opportunity.
This time I went with my friend John. You know you’re a mega Streisand fan when you can tell a gay man things about Barbra he didn’t already know. As the opening montage was playing on the screen I wondered how many people recognized Barbra in her role as Miss Marmelstein in her first Broadway show “ I can get it for You Wholesale” which is where she met Elliot Gould with whom she had her son Jason. Or noticed the picture of her performing at the Bon Soir- one of her first night club appearances in 1960 (two years before I was born.)
The entire concert I was keenly aware I was in the presence of greatness. It was another unforgettable night with another program to preserve and protect. Over the past 50 years Barbra has only performed 84 concerts and at least I was at two of them. I never did get to star as Fanny Brice in Funny Girl, but I do sing “Don’t Rain on My Parade” at Karaoke with the same passion and pleasure as the little girl in the bedroom mirror……….. The way…. we…. weeere.
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