Barbra Streisand Says GYPSY Film May Be Delayed Again: 'I'm At Their Mercy'

By: Aug. 03, 2016
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In all-new interview in today's New York Times, legendary singer Barbra Streisand speaks about her 9-city summer tour which launched last night in LA (check out video highlights HERE!), as well as the status of her much-talked about remake of GYPSY.

As BWW recently reported, Oscar winner Barry Levinson had signed on to direct the project which will star Babs in the lead role. It was also revealed that STX Entertainment was in "advanced negotiations" to produce the movie after Universal Pictures put the endeavor on hold last year.

However, in today's interview, Streisand shares that the project may once again be in limbo, explaining "I'm at their mercy. One day you're going to do 'Gypsy,' the next day it's off."

She goes on to discuss the musical's iconic character Mama Rose, commenting, "I think she's tough as nails, but a tough person who's vulnerable inside, you know? It's like a crab, something that's jelly inside. What makes for anger is also hurt, and that gives you the depth of playing somebody like that."

She also reveals that she recently spoke to the show's lyricist Stephen Sondheim about potential revisions to the songs, including her idea for the delivery of the words "mama, mama" in the show-stopping number"Rose's Turn." The multi-Grammy winner believes that the motivation behind Rose's blind ambition to make a star out of her daughter lies in her relationship with her own mother who walked out on her.

Read the interview in full HERE

Barbra Streisand's upcoming album ENCORE: Movie Partners Sing Broadway will feature international movie stars Hugh Jackman, Jamie Foxx, Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Antonio Banderas, Seth McFarlane and more and will be available August 26.

Following the release of her 2014 record-breaking "Partners," "ENCORE: Movie Partners Sing Broadway" is Streisand's third and long-awaited Broadway album. Streisand released "The Broadway Album" and "Back to Broadway" in 1985 and 1993, respectfully, both of which went multi-platinum.

Photo Credit: Douglas Gorenstein/NBC



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