There’s been plenty of hubbub around Brooklyn’s new Barclays Center, the 19,000-seat stadium where the borough’s favorite son, Jay-Z—part owner of the venue’s Nets—played a series of shows. But beginning tonight, another native is hitting the Barclays stage to share her own version of the Kings County sound.
Barbra Streisand, who grew up in Flatbush, performs at the arena Thursday and Saturday nights before heading across the country—and into Canada—to perform. Streisand’s is on tour to support her album, Release Me, a collection of unreleased tracks from the past 50 years.
In honor of the new album and the homecoming shows, DuJour is sharing an admittedly opinionated list of the 10 most unforgettable Babs moments (in particular order) from over the years.
1. In 1983, Streisand starred in and directed Yentl, the story of a Polish girl who cross-dressed in order to study Talmudic law. The movie won a bevy of awards, including a Best Director Golden Globe for Streisand, the first ever awarded to a woman.
2. Is it just Babs’ satin sailor shirt or is there something remarkable about this 1963 “Happy Days Are Here Again” duet from Streisand and Judy Garland? The answer: Both!
3. Even if it’s hard to watch without getting distracted by weeping, 1973’s The Way We Were features what many consider Streisand’s ultimate film performance. Also, it gave us “Memories.”
Photo: Ron Galella/WireImage
4. Her Arnold Scaasi pantsuit may have ripped and gone see-through beneath the bright lights, but Streisand’s look at the 1969 Oscars—where she won the Best Actress award for her role in Funny Girl—instantly became one of the best Oscar fashion moments ever.
Photo: Frederick M. Brown/AFP/Getty Images
5. In 1998, Streisand got married – for the second time – to ridiculously handsome actor James Brolin (honk! honk!), giving us all hope that if the ultimate uncompromising single woman could find true love, surely we mere mortals could, too.
6. This brand-new video of a song from her new album—for the Randy Newman-penned song “I Think It’s Gonna Rain Today”—is a black-and-white, vintage-y look at their collaboration some 30 years ago—delightful and nostalgic, even if you’re not a superfan.
7. In the classic 1997 film comedy In & Out, Kevin Kline plays an engaged guy with a full-blown Streisand obsession. His interest in her runs so deep that his pals forego the usual bachelor party entertainment options and attempt instead to screen Funny Girl for him.
8. Streisand has always been a force on screen, but we’ve been driven to new levels of frenzy by her latest incarnation as the grand dame of comedy. After her hilarious turn in the Fockers franchise, she’s now teaming up with Seth Rogan for the December film The Guilt Trip, which appears to utilize her comic talents fully.
9. Even hipsters aren’t immune to Streisand’s charms. In the summer of 2010, the DJ duo Duck Sauce released this track, “Barbra Streisand,” which charted in the U.S., U.K. and Australia—and went on to be featured on Fox‘s Glee.
10. Speaking of Glee—its star Lea Michele has been buzzed about as the heir to Streisand’s throne. And while Michele has, on occasion, a similar look and her character on the show often talks about her love of Streisand (plus, in real life, Michele was rumored to be working on a remake of Funny Girl), we’re not entirely convinced. Still, this clip of her covering “Don’t Rain On My Parade,” which Streisand made famous on Broadway in 1964, isn’t a bad argument, and it shows Babs’ power in inspiring a whole new generation of musical-theater powerhouses.
