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Barbra Streisand Shares GYPSY Movie Update: 'We Are Re-Writing Now'
By: Robert Diamond Sep. 27, 2014
Don't count out Barbra Streisand's long-gestating film adaptation of GYPSY quite yet. While participating in a Twitter chat this evening to celebrate her newest album, PARTNERS, hitting #1 on the charts, the star fielded a question about the film from gossip maven Perez Hilton.
@BarbraStreisand What can you tell us about the "Gypsy" movie? Any update??? #AskBarbra24
@PerezHilton Yes, we are re-writing Gypsy now and I have another picture I want to direct.
One assumes that the 'we' she refers to is Richard LaGravenese, who recently came aboard the film as a screenwriter.
In other theatre news, asked about recent shows she's seen, she wrote "I recently saw "It's Only A Play" with Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick by Terrence McNally. It was very funny!"
Earlier this month, as part of a Sirius XM Town Hall held yesterday and moderated by Jay Lander, the famed singer and actress said of the project: "I see every frame of it...I think it's possibly gonna happen."
As BWW previously reported, Matthew Warchus will not be joining Barbra Streisand as helmer for Universal's upcoming GYPSY big-screen adaptation. But Nikki Finke recently wrote that Barbra could be considering a dual role as 'Mama Rose' and director for the project. Streisand last directed a musical in 1983 -- Yentl, which she also produced, co-wrote and starred in.
The GYPSY film also hired a new screenwriter to adapt the Jule Styne, Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents musical -- Richard LaGravenese -- who worked with Streisand in 1996 on The Mirror Has Two Faces.
Ten of Streisand's albums have reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. Her latest album PARTNERS was just released on September 16th from Columbia Records, and sold over 196,000+ copies in its first week. This makes Streisand the female artist with the most No. 1 albums and the first artist with No. 1s in each of the six decades of her career.
Streisand's nine other No. 1 albums include: People (1964), The Way We Were (1974), A Star Is Born Soundtrack (1977), Barbra Streisand's Greatest Hits, Volume 2 (1979), Guilty (1980), The Broadway Album (1986), Back to Broadway (1993), Higher Ground (1997), and Love is the Answer (2009).
PARTNERS features 12 songs, many of which are regarded as Streisand classics. Among the songs included are "New York State Of Mind," with Billy Joel, "It Had To Be You," with Michael Buble, "Come Rain Or Come Shine," with John Mayer, "Love Me Tender," with Elvis Presley, "The Way We Were," with Lionel Richie, "What Kind Of Fool," with John Legend, "People," with Stevie Wonder, "I Can Still See Your Face," with Andrea Bocelli, "Evergreen," with Babyface, and Ms. Streisand's first studio-recorded duet with her son Jason Gould, on "How Deep Is The Ocean."
To purchase the album, visit iTunes or www.myplaydirect.com/barbra-streisand.
Streisand has appeared on Broadway in I Can Get It For You Wholesale and Funny Girl. She has also received a special Tony Award. Her film work includes Funny Girl, Funny Lady, Yentl, and Nuts. A lauded performer, she has won numerous awards including the Oscar, Grammy, and Emmy awards.
Photo by Walter McBride
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