Fockin' BarbraBy now, should you have a known predilection for movie musicals or Barbra Streisand as musical comedienne (we endorse both predilections, though we can do without Babs otherwise), someone has undoubtedly forwarded you something saying along the lines of "OMFG. BABS. GYPSY. SQUEEE (and/or) EWWW."
According to Playbill, she is in talks to star in a new film version about the ur stage mother "Mama Rose". Other reports have the diva, currently atop the box office charts in her Meet the Fockers role, directing and producing as well. That Babs, always multi-tasking. We heartily approve of Babs returning to musical comedy, her true yet abandoned once-in-a-century gift, and we get that she'd want to scale the musical Mt Everest of "Mama Rose". Many divas have tried their hand at the enormous role. Streisand, at 68 years of age, would definitely be the oldest filmed Mama Rose. Which isn't a big deal since you do need a BIG performer except that the musical is about a mother's tempestuous relationships with her young children who she carts around on the vaudeville circuit as child and then teen performers until the elder kicks free of Mama (and clothing) to become the famous stripper Gypsy Rose Lee.
Well, maybe she'll pull it off. She did famously sell herself as "Second Hand Rose" already.
The major Mama Roses to date (Gypsy never stays away for long):
- Patti Lupone (2008 Broadway revival, Tony Award)
- Bernadette Peters (2003 Broadway revival, Tony nomination)
- Bette Midler (1993 TV movie, Emmy nomination, Globe winner)
- Tyne Daly (1989 Broadway revival, Tony Award)
- Angela Lansbury (1975 Broadway revival, Tony Award)
- Rosalind Russell (1962 Film, Globe winner -- snubbed by Oscar)
- Ethel Merman (1959 Original Broadway musical, Tony nomination)
Which was your favorite? (I've only see Russell, Midler and Peters and, despite her divisive reviews, Bernadette Peters was my favorite. How about them eggrolls?)
(Remember when Hugh Jackman had super long hair? Hee.)
Hey you know what?
Forget Babs. Wasn't Sigourney Weaver supposed to star in a non-musical version sequel of sorts called G String Mother? That one was about Mama Rose's daughter "Gypsy Rose Lee" in her later years after retiring from stripping. Maybe that project got cancelled? It no longer has an IMDb page. Sadness. That sounded interesting.