My Name is Barbra
When describing her directing philosophy, Barbra Streisand has said that less is often more. Unfortunately, she did not take that to heart when writing her long-awaited memoir, My Name is Barbra, which clocks in at over 900 pages.
It covers a great deal of professional and personal ground and has plenty of engaging and revelatory material. But you must wade through too much long-winded prose to get there.
Do you really need three chapters on the making of Yentl (1983)?
The film, about a young Orthodox Jewish girl who disguises herself as a man so she can be allowed to study in a yeshiva, was meaningful and engaging. However, nobody will confuse it with Citizen Kane (1941). Yet there is almost a blow-by-blow description of the writing and directing process that will likely be of interest primarily to students of the craft.
It covers a great deal of professional and personal ground and has plenty of engaging and revelatory material. But you must wade through too much long-winded prose to get there. Do you really need three chapters on the making of Yentl?
Streisand notes, for example that “you don’t always need a close-up to sell an emotion. It’s often more interesting if you can’t quite see an actor’s face straight on.” (559)
Do not worry though, the book is not all the literary equivalent of steamed broccoli. There is plenty of flourless chocolate cake topped with ice cream. The ice cream is presumably Streisand’s favorite, McConnell’s Brazilian Coffee. Those are apt metaphors given Streisand’s love of food. Although she admits to being useless in the kitchen and claims she could burn water. Fortunately, she has mastered a most helpful culinary skill, restaurant reservations.
Actor/singer Mandy Patinkin was difficult to work with (not a surprise!) in part because he had a crush on Streisand and hoped to have a fling with her. Her snark is delicious.
She recalls that she “couldn’t tell him that he was not exactly fascinating to me. I didn’t want to hurt his feelings, so I simply said, ‘I don’t operate that way.’” (558)
The diva cannot resist another dig at the talented if overly self-centered Patinkin. She recounts a dinner with the actor and his wife “when I noticed that he practically fell asleep at the table when the subject moved off him.” (558)
While Streisand is not without ego, the arc of her life somewhat justifies her self-regard. She has risen from a middle-class childhood in Brooklyn, where she was raised by a single emotionally distant mother who rarely praised her, to the pinnacle of the entertainment industry. She truly is one of the few people known by their first name and one of a handful of winners of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award.
Singing and acting were her tickets to Manhattan and beyond and the descriptions of her early adventures and misadventures make for enjoyable reading. She got her big break with a stint at a Greenwich Village nightclub where she performed many of the classics of the American songbook.
While Streisand is not without ego, the arc of her life somewhat justifies her self-regard. She has risen from a middle-class childhood in Brooklyn, where she was raised by a single emotionally distant mother who rarely praised her, to the pinnacle of the entertainment industry.
No doubt she had a lot of help with iconic composers like Harold Arlen and Richard Rodgers writing her material. But if Streisand’s instrument had merely been average, she would have been one of those talented singers who languish in obscurity.
Fortunately, she has an endearing voice and acting skills that bring lyrics alive. Musical taste is subjective and while this writer prefers Ella Fitzgerald, Audra McDonald, and Peggy Lee, Streisand’s success and fame are well deserved.
Streisand is at her best when she can display her acting and singing bona fides simultaneously. There are few better examples than her breakout role as the Yiddish entertainer Fanny Brice in Funny Girl (1968).
She originated the role on Broadway (after getting good reviews in her debut in a supporting role in I Can Get It for You Wholesale) and really made it her own. Her spunk, talent, and hunger for fame were apparent throughout the performance, which she replicated in the film version. Watching her perform “I’m the Greatest Star,’’ is to see a master of her art. The performance seems effortless (the sign of someone who has really rehearsed) and she is having fun.
The memoir documents Streisand’s tensions with her Broadway costar Sydney Chaplin and with others. For someone who was not yet a star she showed remarkable chutzpah in asking for changes in the staging and music.
She also clashed with the legendary director Garson Kanin, whom the producers eventually replaced with another legend, Jerome Robbins, because Kanin would not let Streisand vary her performance from day to day.
“I didn’t understand the logic. If a performance could be fresh every evening why wouldn’t the director want that? Of course you have to create a basic framework…you know that certain things work and the lines and the staging remain the same … but within that structure it seemed to me that you could still be open,” she writes. (158)
We learn that the show’s most famous song, “People,” was almost cut during the pre-Broadway tryouts. Streisand also discusses those others who were considered for the role, including Anne Bancroft, who took herself out of consideration because she did not think she had the right vocal range. That was probably a good call. While Bancroft was a better actress than Streisand, she was not in Streisand’s league as a singer.
The memoir documents Streisand’s tensions with her Broadway costar Sydney Chaplin and with others. For someone who was not yet a star she showed remarkable chutzpah in asking for changes in the staging and music.
Streisand’s acting and singing talents were also readily on display in the film version of Hello Dolly (1969). She played a character more than two decades older than she was at the time and pulled it off. But it was hardly smooth sailing, and she reveals that there was plenty of behind-the-scenes drama, including clashes with the director, Gene Kelly, and her costar Walter Matthau.
Streisand complained that both were misogynistic and dismissive of her suggestions; Matthau did not respect her acting ability, and Kelly lacked the grand vision for the film that she felt all directors should have.
It is not surprising that the notably controlling Streisand (a trait she shares with most great artists) confides that when she directed, she knew exactly what she wanted and how to get there. Among her best movies was the drama Prince of Tides (1991), an adaptation of the magisterial novel by Pat Conroy.
Streisand co-wrote the script and played the psychiatrist. It is a remarkable story of a troubled southern family that is used to make broader comments about human relationships and frailties. Streisand’s performance is understated, and she brings out the best in other cast members, including Nick Nolte. That is no small feat since Nolte is a solid, but not a stellar actor.
Streisand has many other passions besides performing and directing, and the book devotes a fair amount of time discussing her love of art and design. Those wanting more can check out her coffee table book on design.
This writer’s admiration of her grew after reading of her love of Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. It is a magical place and when you go there you cannot help but be inspired and awed.
While she is rightly troubled by the fact that the former president owned slaves, despite his writings on the virtues of liberty, she admires his life and his love of design.
“There was nothing grandiose. He understood the beauty of simplicity and believed in classical proportions. … As well as practicality,’’ she writes. (772)
As for Jefferson’s personal flaws, she adds: “Jefferson did not live up to his own ideals. And as a country, we still haven’t lived up to those words he wrote in the Declaration of Independence either.” (772)
She has tried to do her part to ensure that the country does better in that area. She has been active as a donor and fundraiser for a range of Democratic candidates. She is also been a strong advocate on issues such as arts education and health care. Streisand does her homework on these topics and does not usually shoot from the hip.
My Name is Barbra gives readers a peek into the multi-faceted world of this famous, yet quite private woman, along with glimpses of those in her orbit. If you can get past the length, lack of an index, and extensive back-patting, you will enjoy yourself and learn a great deal.
