Barbra Streisand did not care for “Wicked.”
She doesn’t say so explicitly, but in an interview with Variety’s Marc Malkin she carefully sidesteps the question.
Malkin asks: “Did you see “Wicked” with Ariana?
Streisand: “I showed it to my grandchildren…They loved “Wicked.”
“Did you?” Malkin presses.
Barbra avoids the question entirely: “I was just watching their reaction and they were totally fine with the witches. I was surprised. A four- and a six-year-old, you know?”
On Friday, Streisand releases her second “Duets” album called “The Secret of Life.” The great producers Peter Asher and Walter Afanasieff were behind the board. The list of performers is insane, from Sting, Paul McCartney, and Hozier to Laufey, and Mariah Carey with Ariana Grande.
The tracks with McCartney, Hozier, and Laufey have already been released to acclaim. Each of them shot to the top of iTunes overnight. On McCartney’s “My Valentine,” Streisand’s vocal is particularly mesmerizing. (Paul’s not bad, either.)
I’m not surprised if Streisand didn’t care for “Wicked.” There’s a lot of shriek singing, probably too much for her. Both Ariana and Cynthia Erivo sound better on their own recordings. Hey, that’s life.
PS Asher is performing Tuesday night at City Winery in New York. He’s on tour doing his Peter & Gordon/Beatles retrospective, one of the best live shows you can hope to see. It’s totally fun, and the music is the real thing. Even Barbra would approve!
