Barbra, "Funny Girl," and standards of beauty (Don't Miss Today's Weekly Blast!)
Barbra explains why she rejected plastic surgery
Shalom!
This week, The Broadway Maven looks at Jesus Christ Superstar and Barbra Streisand’s musicals.
• On Sunday, March 12 at Noon ET and Monday, March 13 at Noon and 7 pm ET we’ll have a FREE class exploring the New Testament musical with a rock beat. Register here.
• On Wednesday, March 15 at Noon ET the Jewish Broadway series will continue with a discussion of the Barbra Streisand musicals I Can Get it For You Wholesale, Funny Girl, and Yentl. $5. Register here.
• This Weekly Blast includes:
A) an ESSAY about Funny Girl and standards of beauty that focuses on Barbra Streisand’s decision to keep her distinctive nose (included here FREE in this preview issue);
B) a Broadway Maven YouTube GEM comparing Joseph with Jesus (Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s first two shows);
C) a REVIEW of the 2018 live production of Jesus Christ Superstar that appeared on NBC;
D) a YouTube GEM preview of the second season of Schmigadoon!;
E) a SURVEY about the women who have played Fanny Brice; and
F) LAST BLASTs (FREE as always) about The Music Man and Annie Get Your Gun.
As early as the show’s second number (“If a Girl Isn’t Pretty”) Funny Girl establishes that Fanny Brice’s physical unattractiveness combined with her comic flair made her a particularly distinctive performer. At the time of the 1964 Broadway musical, and the 1968 Hollywood movie musical, Barbra Streisand — and especially her nose — fit the bill.
It can be difficult to remember quite how homely Streisand was in the show, because standards of beauty have moved in her direction in the decades since. Still, Streisand’s distinctive nose — and her refusal to have it “fixed” — form an important part of the story behind Funny Girl.
Here’s an excerpt from a 1977 interview with Streisand:
PLAYBOY: What is it, do you think, that makes your voice so special?
STREISAND: My deviated septum. If I ever had my nose fixed, it would ruin my career.
PLAYBOY: Did you ever consider having it fixed?
STREISAND: When I was young, everyone would say, "You gonna have your nose done?" It was like a fad, all the Jewish girls having their noses done every week at Erasmus Hall High School, taking perfectly good noses and whittling them down to nothing. The first thing someone would have done would be to cut my bump off. But I love my bump, I wouldn't cut my bump off.
All I would want to do is change the tilt of the front and take off a little bit, just a little bit, that's all... An incredible nose, Roman, bumpy, like from an old piece of sculpture. That's what I consider beautiful. I certainly don't like pug noses or little tiny noses.
And here she is with Oprah Winfrey in 2006:
Oprah: Is part of the reason you became so famous that you never altered the way you look? You never changed your name or got a nose job?
Barbra: People told me to change my last name. But I thought, That's not real. So instead, I decided to take an "a" out of my first name and shorten it to Barbra. I did that when I was 18. As for my nose, I was afraid of the pain. And how could I trust a doctor's aesthetic sense? How would I know he wouldn't take too much off?
Oprah: If you hadn't been afraid, would you have changed your nose?
Barbra: From certain angles, I liked my nose—still do. Some people would tell me, "You could take the bump off." And I would say, "But I like the bump."
Oprah: I'm glad you didn't. Aren't you glad?
Barbra: Yes.
Oprah: Would you consider other kinds of plastic surgery?
Barbra: Yes, but it's scary. I don't even have pierced ears.
Next Classes:
We continue our Andrew Lloyd Webber series with his second show, Jesus Christ Superstar. We’ll learn about the important role the show played in the history of Broadway as one of the first “rock operas” — and how the Christian community reacted to the show. What’s distinctive about the 1973 movie version? We’ll also have a piano explanation by Mateo Chavez Lewis about the interesting time signatures in the show and commentary by Broadway historian Peter Filichia about this important show.
Jesus Christ Superstar meets Sunday, March 12 at Noon ET and Monday, March 13 at Noon and 7 pm ET. FREE.
What makes Barbra Streisand such a beloved musical theater performer? We’ll look at three shows she’s been associated with: I Can Get it For You Wholesale, Funny Girl, and Yentl. Now that Funny Girl is back, should we think differently about that show?
“Barbra’s musicals” meets Wednesday, March 15 at Noon ET. $5.
Upcoming Homework:
For your Jesus Christ Superstar homework, rank these five entertaining versions of the delightful “King Herod’s Song” from best to worst. Explain your choices in the comments.
For your Barbra Streisand homework, watch the video below. Why do you think there aren’t more Jewish Broadway divas? Explain your answers in the comments.
Note: links to register for ALL classes are ALWAYS available at TheBroadwayMaven.com.
• Sunday, March 12 Jesus Christ Superstar (Noon ET, FREE)
• Monday, March 13 Jesus Christ Superstar (Noon and 7 pm ET, FREE)
• Wednesday, March 15 Barbra Streisand’s musicals (Noon ET, $5 or $18 for the series)
• Sunday, March 19 Phantom of the Opera (Noon ET, FREE)
• Monday, March 20 Phantom of the Opera (Noon and 7 pm ET, FREE)
• Wednesday, March 22 Fiddler on the Roof (Noon ET, $5 or $18 for the series)
• Sunday, March 26 CATS (Noon ET, FREE)
• Monday, March 27 CATS (Noon and 7 pm ET, FREE)
• Tuesday, March 28 “The Funnies on Broadway” bonus class (Noon ET, ALL-ACCESS Only)
• Wednesday, March 29 Peter Filichia on Jewish Broadway hits and misses (Noon ET, $5 or $18 for the series)
Note: Students may attend up to 12 FREE classes a year. After that it’s $5 a class.
Reminder: ALL-ACCESS Passholders do not need to sign up or pay for anything. Just show up!
LAST BLAST: Sondheim bristled visibly when someone would suggest he picked a character name to match a rhyme he was aiming for. City of Angels lyricist David Zippel shared the same attitude when I asked him about one of his rhymes when he visited our class. Since then, I’ve told my students on more than one occasion, “sometimes it’s obvious that it’s happened, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Think about Marian the Librarian from The Music Man.” Well, I’m embarrassed to say I just learned that the moniker was based on Marian Seeley, a Utah librarian composer-lyricist Meredith Willson knew. Seeley died just 10 years ago at the age of 93. My humblest apologies to Willson.
LAST BLAST: A friend of mine once told me he thought Annie Get Your Gun was the sequel to Annie.
The Broadway Maven, David Benkof, helps students further their appreciation of musical theater through his classes, his YouTube Channel, and his Weekly Blast. Contact him at DavidBenkof@gmail.com.