Barbra Streisand, one month shy of her 20th birthday, made her Broadway debut in a supporting role in the musical I Can Get It for You Wholesale, which opened on March 22, 1962. Originally the part of Miss Marmelstein was a minimal one, but after her audition the producers beefed it up. The show starred Elliot Gould, who would become her first husband (who she had her only child with, gay son Jason).
At the show's premiere Leonard Bernstein gave Streisand a standing ovation after her number Miss Marmelstein. The following month she was the subject of a TIME Magazine cover story. And although the show received mixed reviews Streisand was nominated for a Tony for Supporting or Featured Musical Actress - the show's only nomination (she lost to Phyllis Newman for the show Subways Are for Sleeping).
Interestingly, Babs would appear on Broadway just one more time, in Funny Girl which premiered almost two years to the date after Wholesale.
Comments
Actually, I'm glad Phyllis Newman got the Tony. She used to say she got the part by "not sleeping with the writer," her husband, Adolph Green.
Miss Marmelstein was written to be played by an older actress, but after Streisand auditioned, they rewrote to accommodate her. Lehman Engel conducted "Wholesale." Babs begged him to let her do Miss Marmelstein her way and finally when he acquiesced, the number bombed. After that, he said she never did it quite the way she had done it before.
Elliot Gould sweated a lot during the run of "Wholesale" and his shpritzing was hitting the first row of patrons in the orchestra. They put him on pills to cut down on his sweating, but it made his mouth dry, he couldn't sing, so they let him keep sweating.
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Actually, I'm glad Phyllis Newman got the Tony. She used to say she got the part by "not sleeping with the writer," her husband, Adolph Green.
Miss Marmelstein was written to be played by an older actress, but after Streisand auditioned, they rewrote to accommodate her. Lehman Engel conducted "Wholesale." Babs begged him to let her do Miss Marmelstein her way and finally when he acquiesced, the number bombed. After that, he said she never did it quite the way she had done it before.
Elliot Gould sweated a lot during the run of "Wholesale" and his shpritzing was hitting the first row of patrons in the orchestra. They put him on pills to cut down on his sweating, but it made his mouth dry, he couldn't sing, so they let him keep sweating.
Happy Spring!
Frank
Posted by: Frank | 03/22/2012 at 02:18 PM