Although Streisand reluctantly confirmed to the LA Times last month that she would be doing the film calling it a “bookend” to her film debut in 1968′s Funny Girl, the whole thing has come to a grinding halt.
Playwright-director Arthur Laurents, one of the rights holders to the work, tells the Hartford Courant that the film version is not going to happen “for a really fascinating reason, much bigger than ‘Gypsy.’ ”
The 93-year-old recently spoke with the musical’s lyricist, Stephen Sondheim, who asked Laurents why he wanted to allow the film project to happen. “He said, ‘What is the point of it?’ And I said, ‘They have this terrible version with Rosalind Russell wearing those black and white shoes.’ And then Sondheim told me something that he got from the British — and it’s wonderful. He said, ‘You want a record because the theater is ephemeral. But that’s wrong. The theater’s greatest essence is that it is ephemeral. You don’t need a record. The fact that it’s ephemeral means you can have different productions, different Roses on into infinity.’
“So I don’t want it now. I don’t want a definitive record. I want it to stay alive.
“I think [Streisand] is disappointed. She wanted very much to do it. That would have been a good exit for her career. Tom Hopper ["The King's Speech"] wanted to direct it. I think he’s wonderful.”
Okay, so I’ve read his comments and STILL don’t get it! Please reconsider and let us enjoy what is sure to be an unbelievable version of this great musical starring one of the greatest musical talents to have ever walked the Earth.
Here's Hoping for the Sunset Bvld Movie Musical (Babs owns the rights).
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