Barbra at the Beginning

Dear Diary:

William E. Sauro/The New York Times Barbra Streisand in Central Park, June 1967.

Amid all the excitement about Barbra Streisand's concerts at the Barclays Center (and the tears of those who missed them), my mind hurried back to a long-ago evening in October 1961 at the Gramercy Arts Theater.

I was in the audience for a revue called “Another Evening With Harry Stoones,” which was opening after nine preview performances. A young actress was featured in the ensemble cast. In one skit, she portrayed a gawky teen who listens in on the popular crowd's tales of torrid love. The audience thinks she is jealous, but when she runs into a boy her age, she delivers the line of the evening: “Barry, darling, I'm pregnant.”

Yes, that was Ms. Streisand, and every member of the audience knew that she would rise to stardom. The show closed after one performance, but that proved fortunate for Barbra. Her next role was the secretary Miss Marmelstein on Broadway, in “I Can Get It for You Wholesale.”

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