Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
The Schmooze

Barbra Streisand in Talks To Star in ‘Gypsy’ Remake

From “Papa, can you hear me” to Mama Rose: Musical-theater fans and Barbra Streisand cultists are plotzing over the news that La Streisand has reportedly met with composer Stephen Sondheim and playwright Arthur Laurents to discuss starring in a film version of “Gypsy,” their classic 1959 musical.

According to a dispatch in yesterday’s NYTimes.com Artsbeat blog, Laurents had also “suggested Tom Hanks to play the role of Herbie, Rose’s love interest and the talent manager of her two daughters, Baby June and Louise. ‘Barbra loved the idea,’” Laurents told the Times. Streisand mouthpiece Dick Guttman confirmed that “there have been conversations”, the Times said.

Streisand and Laurents share a lot of history, according to EW.com — he directed her 1962 Broadway show “I Can Get It for You Wholesale” and wrote 1973′s tearjerker, “The Way We Were. “

Contrary to a report in the New York Post on Wednesday, Laurents told the Times that Streisand would not direct the film, though she had wanted the gig at one point. “Playing Rose is enough to make her happy,” he said. As for Streisand’s age – she’s 69, and the character’s a young mother in the show’s first act – Laurents told the Times he’s not concerned. “First of all, they can do magic in Hollywood,” he told the Times. “Second, does it really matter?”

A 1963 film version of “Gypsy” starred Rosalind Russell and Natalie Wood. LuPone, Bernadette Peters, Tyne Daly, Angela Lansbury, and Ethel Merman have all previously played the role on Broadway, while Bette Midler took on Mama Rose in a 1993 TV production, according to TheAtlantic.com.

A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines. You must credit the Forward, retain our pixel and preserve our canonical link in Google search.  See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.