The Boyfriend
Cecilwood Theatre Playhouse
Fishkill, New York
August 16—30, 1960
Barbra played Hortense, the French Maid, in Sandy Wilson's musical, The Boy Friend.
Ron Rifkin, who also performed at Cecilwood that summer recalled, “She was extraordinary. She made up this crazy accent—French from the moon—and during the rehearsal lunch breaks, she wouldn't eat but would stay in the empty theater practicing ‘A Sleepin' Bee.’ She had a single-mindedness about her, a drive that I had never seen before.”
As Hortense, Streisand had a big song called “Nicer in Nice”. Some of the lyrics are:
They say it's lovely when a
Young lady's in Vienna
But it's nicer, much nicer in Nice
In Amsterdam or Brussels
The men have great big muscles
But they're nicer, much nicer in Nice
I've heard that the Italians
Are very fond of dalliance
And they're also keen on it in Greece
But whatever they may say
This is where I want to stay
For it's so much nicer in Nice...
Below are rare shots of Streisand as Hortense in The Boyfriend. She is probably singing “Nicer in Nice” in the photographs.
End.
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