[f_minor] "My Night With Barbra" ~A copy from my personal acct. that I wr...

Tue Jul 20 13:16:03 EDT 2010

Thanks for your "Night with Barbra" and I bet Glenn Gould (who wouldn't  
reveal which movies he saw but was a movie buff, again according to some 
article  I read) saw her movies too! Can anybody confirm this??
Katherine

In a message dated 7/20/2010 5:07:37 A.M. Central Daylight Time,  
Luv2WinHate2Lose at aol.com writes:

 Please don't think  I'm 'daft' but I just wanted to send along a copy of 
my 'review' (of a  sort) conveying how it was to see the 'iconic' Ms. Barbra 
Streisand  alive and well, and still very much "at the top of her 
game"...sixteen  years ago. Since the discussion has been going back and forth in the  
e-mails about *Ms. S.* I thought you might be interested in reading  this 
'first hand account' of that night, that I had written about it,  some months 
ago to a friend, and fellow "Gouldian." I have always  felt lucky that I 
had this privilege, and I do like to share the  memories with 'like-minded' 
people...(if you'd like to read it)...please  scroll down and enjoy:    

My Dear  

Now, I want to just "finish what I  started telling you yesterday" about 
seeing Barbra in  her concert tour back in 1994. Oh my, what a night that was! 
  And so, I continue ......

              (Portraits By  Artemis)                 

(BTW, have you ever drawn her portrait, dear? It  seems like
she might be pretty easy to do, do you think  so)?

One of the biggest thrills of my life was in July 1994, when  my friend and 
I saw Barbra Streisand live, in concert, at the huge  "Arrowhead Pond" in 
Anaheim, CA. (Here it is):

She sang there again in 2006 -- but we  didn't go to this one...
        [although I would have loved to]! The tickets were  $350.00...      

when we'd seen her in '94, & for those same  seats we 
heard they were $500.00 & above in '06!  
So, I bought the DVD instead!  

Well, she was even more magnificent in person than on the  movie screen or 
TV -- and her voice was as fabulous and  strong as it had ever been!  You 
know, Richard Simmons dubbed  her "God's Bell" years ago, and I must say, that 
is a great  nickname for her! What a voice and what control, the best  I've 
ever seen and heard! She is so much better in person, in  every way too! 
Her singing was flawless and she didn't miss a  beat ~ and, she was just 
gorgeous! We were awestruck the whole  evening!

Also this; I was pleasantly surprised at how funny she  was...and just so 
'cute' when she'd tell her stories, as good as  any professional comedienne 
I've seen! She did a whole 'bit' as  herself talking to her psychiatrist (who 
was just this big,  booming [disembodied] voice, talking to her from off 
stage).  The whole thing was hilarious, with her lying back on a  chaise 
lounge talking to her "shrink" who was responding like a  real Dr. would. She was 
so funny and it really showed her  'comedic' side. I loved her more than I 
ever had, after that  night -- and I can truthfully say it was the best 
performance I've  ever seen (and I've been to many, through the years)!

Another thing I recall is how graceful she was! She "floated"  down a long 
staircase on the stage, in a super-long gown, without  looking down at the 
steps at all -- just gliding down that  stairway like a graceful swan, and 
that long, white  'clinging' Donna Karan gown "floated" down with her,  every 
step of the way! 

Now, say, if I was her 'understudy' some night, and if I'd  have to walk 
down those same stairs in a long, clingy gown, I  would have gotten my high 
heels so 'tangled up' in the hem  of it, then I would have turned the whole 
stage 'set'  into a "Horror Movie  Scene" and gone tumbling down like a 'sack 
of  potatoes' rolling on out into the lap of some elderly,  screaming 
dowager in the
audience's front row, who'd be yelling; "Where's Barbra?  Usher, get this 
klutsy, dumpy old-lady off of me and give me my  $1,000.00 back!!"   

.................. 

~ "Argh-hh!!! I knew I  couldn't maneuver these stairs in this 
'blankety-blank'  gown... 
 and singin' "Hello Dolly" at the same  time!!! How in the _ _ _ _ does 
Bawbwa do it"?!  ~  

Tee-hee, I had fun with that! Now...I'll be serious the  rest of the way! 
But, we actually did worry that she would trip  and fall, or at least 
stumble! But she didn't mess up once -- it  was just really unbelievable! Oh, and 
not a hair out of  place, the whole show! It "floated like silk" (just like 
her gown)  with her every move, too!

The most impressive thing (besides her voice, of course) was  how graceful 
she moved, it was just amazing! Another thing, she  never got out of breath 
at all....even during her long-winded  numbers, or the times when she'd 
dance around and sing at the same  time! And those hands!! You know I was 
looking at them,  more than her face!!    I had my  husband's military binoculars 
that night, & I could see "every  perfectly manicured fingernail" and the 
skin on her  hands [and what we saw of her arms] looked as soft as a  baby's 
bum! The 'form' of her hands are just gorgeous -- as pretty  as any hand 
models, I'm sure! And she 'uses' them well, very  expressive with them as you 
have probably noticed, too (as we both  have the 'thing' about hands). I had 
always noticed them when  I'd seen her on TV & in the movies, but when she's 
on stage  and just "being Barbra" those hands "talk and sing" right along  
with her!

She was just perfect in every way, and this was truly one of  the best 
nights of my life! I bought a T-Shirt and a fancy program  of the show, which I 
still have and they're like new! I've worn  the T-shirt dozens of times, and 
it has stayed nice all these  years...hasn't faded at all, and her picture 
on the front is like  new too! They must have been made of top material, as 
it  still looks great!  

Well, dear...this was my "Night With Barbra"...and it was  unforgettable!! 
It's hard to believe that it's been 16  years ago, this July...but it has 
been. What a thrill it was, and  the memories of it have remained 'fresh' even 
after this many  years! If you ever get a chance to see her in concert -- 
do it! No  matter what the tickets would cost, it will be worth it!!!

Now, I found a whole Web site about the concert we saw --  plus I ran 
across a couple of videos on Y/T that were filmed the  same time (maybe even the 
night we were there)! BTW, it was the  night of the *Stars* when we went 
too, as it was a "make-up" night  from what was to be the opening night that 
year, when she had  to cancel several shows due to a bad case of  
laryingitis...and they had to reschedule. So, all of the stars  that had tickets for 
that certain night were there, along  with 'us' & the rest of the 'common 
fans'. At the  intermission, the house lights went up, and with my binoculars I  
saw more stars than I ever dreamed of seeing in my lifetime! I'll  name a 
few who I can remember: Sidney Pointier & his wife, Tom  Hanks & wife, Rob 
Reiner & wife, Tom Selleck &  wife, Don Johnson, and so many others...anyway, 
that  gives you an idea!  

_Click here: Barbra Streisand Archives | The  Concert 1994 Tour_ 
(http://barbra-archives.com/live/90s/concert_streisand_tour.html#cali)  

_http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9YyKm93a9g_ 
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9YyKm93a9g) 

_http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSLrL7UCCnY_ 
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSLrL7UCCnY) 

  My son, Kevin, fell in  love with her, after seeing "Hello Dolly" 
 (as a little boy, back in the  day). He thought she was the 
 *prettiest* woman he'd ever  seen! When he'd see her picture 
  on magazines, etc.  etc. he'd have to come & show it to us, 
  pointing and saying; "This is Hello  Dolly ~ shee'z perty!" 
 (He thought that was her  name,
  isn't that a 'hoot')?!   

 * Those  Hands!!! *             

"That's All For  Now"  

         'Buh-bye!!!!           
      Helen    

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