Nothing's impossible . . .

Isaac Bashevis Singer's short story, "Yentl, The Yeshiva Boy" was first performed as a stage drama during a 1974-1975 run at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. The show, starring Tovah Feldshuh in the title role, was so good that Broadway soon beckoned. With a new, shortened title, "Yentl" opened at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre on October 23, 1975.

But it was Barbra Streisand's 1983 film version, (not to mention the enormous controversy surrounding its production) that would ultimately transform "Yentl" into one of the most magnificent cinematic achievements of recent years. Despite the dismay of its original author, Barbra's "Yentl" would become one of the most well known characters ever to have made the leap from literary page to silver screen.

Barbra's film will always be remembered as one of her most important - and her most controversial. The controversy began with author I. B. Singer's critical assessment of Barbra's direction, performance, and treatment of his original source material. Following the film's opening, Singer authored a 1984 piece in the New York Times, going public with his dissatisfaction of the Streisand version of his story:

"I did not find artistic merit, neither in the adaptation nor in the directing. I did not think that Miss Streisand was at her best in the part of Yentl. ... Miss Streisand lacked guidance. She got much, perhaps too much advice and information from various rabbis, but rabbis cannot replace a director ..."

Growing Up Yentl:
A Short Story's Journey
 

1962 In 1962, Isaac Bashevis Singer first published "Yentl, the Yeshiva Boy" as a short story in Yiddish, and an English translation was soon to follow. The short story served as source material for the 1975 Broadway drama, and later the 1983 film. The play and film were produced as "Yentl."   1975 Isaac Bashevis Singer's short story was the basis for an original new stage production, with Singer and Leah Napolin co-writing the play. The Singer-Napolin script offered a deep insight into the persona of Yentl which touches on psychological themes of gender identity. In the stage version, Yentl chooses to live as a man named Anshel in order to fulfill her ambitions of studying Talmudic law. Upon revealing her secret to study partner Avigdor, Yentl proclaims that she is "neither one sex nor the other," suggesting that she has "the soul of a man in the body of a woman." The play concludes with Yentl's decision to continue her scholarly pursuits. In a significant departure from the familiar film version, Yentl chooses to remain as Anshel, living the rest of her life in the guise of a man. Veteran actress Tovah Feldshuh was the first to portray the character of Yentl. She initially performed the role in a series of performances at the Brooklyn Academy of Music between 1974 and 1975 under the show's original title, "Yentl, The Yeshiva Boy." When the show moved to Broadway in 1975, it was known simply as "Yentl." Feldshuh's portrayal of Yentl was a breakout performance that earned her the Theatre World Award along with Tony and Drama Desk nominations. Her notices were good, prompting New York Times critic Clive Barnes to proclaim that "Feldshuh plays Yentl with such piercing sincerity you cannot help but be riveted by the actress' work." Though Singer was extremely critical of Barbra Streisand's portrayal of "Yentl," he seemed quite satisfied with Tovah Feldshuh's performance. In his 1984 New York Times piece, Singer compared the Feldshuh and Streisand renditions: "Miss Tovah Feldshuh, who played Yentl on Broadway, was much better. She understood her part perfectly; she was charming and showed instinctive knowledge of how to portray the scholarly Yentl I described in my story." 1982 Director Streisand came under some rather harsh media scrutiny during the filming of "Yentl." Her cast and crew wanted to make it crystal clear that Barbra was nothing short of a professional - and a delight to work with. Their letter of support, released to media editors on June 8, 1982, reads as follows: Dear Sir: The undersigned are currently working on the film 'Yentl', which is directed by, and stars Barbra Streisand. Because she is subjected to so much adverse press, we thought it might interest you to know that during the last 3 months of rehearsal and filming, she has completely captivated us all. Though undoubtedly a perfectionist, - in her dealings with everyone - producers, camera, sound, electrical crew, props, wardrobe, makeup, hairdressers, stagehands, actors, extras, stand-ins - she has shared jokes, chats and pleasantries each and every day. She appears to have no temperament, her voice is scarcely heard on the set, her smile is seen constantly. We have all worked with directors and stars who are the complete antithesis of Barbra Streisand, but whose antics don't reach the newspapers. This letter is entirely unsolicited, and is the result of our collective affection.   1983 It is clear that working on the film version of "Yentl" was Barbra Streisand's labor of love, an experience that she will most likely never duplicate, nor ever want to try. She first became familiar with Singer's short story in 1968 and soon acquired the film rights. In fact, Barbra wanted "Yentl" to be her next picture following "Funny Girl," according to her commentary on the newly released "Yentl" DVD. And she would have done exactly that, had her circle of advisors not convinced her otherwise.  As it turned out, it took Barbra nearly fifteen years to get "Yentl" to the screen. In the end, Barbra not only starred in the picture, but she chose "Yentl' as her first directorial endeavor. Her company Barwood produced the film while Barbra co-wrote the screenplay. She broke ground as the first woman to direct, produce, write and star in a major motion picture. Her accomplishment is still being talked about today. Time has tempered the cynical criticism that she had to endure in 1983. Quite simply, what Barbra did with "Yentl" back then was remarkable. The film's tag line that "nothing's impossible" proved to be Barbra's cinematic prophecy. And she got the last laugh. Barbra Streisand's "Yentl" is a highly artistic piece of art. In fact, Barbra did a fair amount of research and preparation before the first foot of film was ever shot. She visited Czechoslovakia with her personal 8mm camera to scout out proper locations. She spent time in several art galleries in The Netherlands to study the works of Dutch painters before deciding on a Rembrandt-like color palette for the film. She even went back to Brooklyn to observe the traditions of orthodox Jewish weddings, according to her new DVD commentary. As for the music, the original concept for the picture was that it would not be a full blown Streisand musical. However, in order to entice a major studio to distribute the film, composers Marilyn and Alan Bergman convinced Barbra that by lending her musical voice to the project, the film would become more commercially viable. The decision to feature Streisand singing in the film was not only a good business proposition, but the result enhanced the film's overall artistic merit. Much of the Bergman - Michel Legrand music Barbra sings in "Yentl" expresses her character's inner thoughts and feelings. Integrating music with story and narrative was a device that not only worked, but brought the emotional journey Yentl experiences front and center to theatrical audiences.   2009 On February 3, 2009, MGM Home Video distributed a DVD version of "Yentl" for the first time in the US. This release makes complete the entire Streisand film catalogue on DVD. The two disc director's extended edition contains several introductory videos by Barbra, her complete running commentary, deleted scenes, rehearsal footage, alternate vocal selections and musical performances, theatrical trailers and more. As expected, Barbra's commentary focus on the more technical aspects of making the film. Her discussion is nonetheless compelling as she guides the viewer, step by step, through her joyous journey of bringing "Yentl" to the big screen. Amazingly, Barbra completed her on-screen commentaries for this DVD a number of years ago. In recent years, she has even expressed signs of frustration over the length of time it was taking for the studio to bring it to market. But with the new DVD being presented in its original theatrical aspect for the first time, and with the director guiding the viewer along Yentl's journey, the wait surely paid off. As Barbra puts it, "For those of you people who have asked me, 'Where's the DVD?' - here it is, finally."

"Yentl" in Pop Culture   It is perhaps a testament to Barbra Streisand that "Yentl" has somehow entered the vernacular of American pop culture. In 1996, "Yentl" was even a centerpiece attraction at The Jewish Museum's popular Too Jewish exhibition in New York City. Artist Deborah Kass displayed her rendering of Barbra (called "Double Red Yentl") in a style evocative of Andy Warhol. And just like those many familiar Warhol portraits, Kass' "Yentl" has become an iconic image. "Yentl" has also been referenced many times in film, television and on stage. A recent episode of Jeopardy even featured "Yentl" as a Final Jeopardy answer. And who can forget the dialogue between Leonard Maltin and Chef on South Park:    Have you seen Barbra Streisand recently?    Barbra Streisand? You mean like THE Barbra Streisand?    Have you seen her?    No, not since "Yentl."   The Jewish Museum New York (1996) Barbra's "Yentl" by artist Deborah Kass

"Yentl" in Concert Barbra Streisand's 1994 concert tour was the first to include a show stopping tribute to "Yentl." The innovative use of giant video screens allowed Barbra to, in essence, duet with herself. The performance was "A Piece of Sky" and featured Barbra singing live to the accompaniment of actual video footage from the film's finale. The "duet" was a sensation, bringing each audience to its feet in thunderous ovation. The 1994 performances of "A Piece of Sky" were so successful and popular that Barbra chose to repeat them during her 2000 concert tour, "Timeless." This time, a clever twist was used. For the "Timeless" version of "A Piece of Sky," Barbra was joined on stage by Lauren Frost, the actress who portrayed Barbra as a young girl. Together, Barbra and Lauren sang with the on-screen Yentl to create one of the show's most memorable and dynamic moments.

Barbra and Isaac Bashevis Singer According to the extensive research provided by our friends at BJSMusic, Isaac Bashevis Singer was attached to Barbra's film's production for a brief period of time. Singer wrote a treatment for the film in 1969 that was apparently not deemed good enough for the screen. It was rejected. Singer obviously had his own take on how his title character should be portrayed in the film, as would be his artistic right. Perhaps it was sour grapes at not having his screenplay accepted that prompted Singer to go public with his dissatisfaction of Barbra's movie when the film was released. Or maybe he simply did not like it. Either way, these two master story tellers never saw eye to eye on how Yentl should to be portrayed on film. As owner of the film right's, Barbra's vision of "Yentl" would, of course, prevail. Since then, Barbra has gone on record as saying that it was never her intention to offer an exact re-telling of Singer's short story. She used artistic license in writing her own version of Yentl's tale. The result was a cinematic portrayal of a story that turned a modestly known literary character into one of the true iconic personas of modern film. From any writer's perspective, one can certainly understand Singer's objections. But as far as filmmaking goes, one must also applaud Barbra for providing a cinematic version of "Yentl" that will endure through time.