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Considering the show's predominant theme involving the passage of time, despite a highly anticipatory audience and the Millennium Eve, Barbra doesn't give herself any grand entrances (as in '94). Instead, and in keeping with its strikingly different mood and feel, Barbra doesn't enter until we get a glimmer of what this show is about. Timeless opens behind the kind of old-fashioned heavy red velvet and gold-trimmed curtain you'd find in a theater. Sans overture, Brother Time (Savion Glover), in a flowing black velvet cloak, taps for several minutes in front of a clock to a futuristic-sounding mélange of music with brief snatches of "People" and "On A Clear Day." Suddenly, we're back in 1955, December 29 to be exact, witnessing a defiant yet talented young girl (Lauren Frost) in New York's Nola Studios rehearsing with a cynical pianist (Alec Ledd) and a disapproving mother (Randee Heller) before recording "You'll Never Know." Brother Time reappears as guide and perhaps inspiration for the girl, who launches into "Something's Coming" from West Side Story. Soon, Barbra steps out from behind Brother Time's cloak, rather unassumingly, to join Frost, her young self, in a rousing duet, bringing 13,000 people to their feet, largely to welcome Barbra and perhaps also to applaud this refreshing opening. Her entrance lyric - "It may come cannonballing down through the sky / Gleam in its eye, bright as a rose." Upon finishing the song, during the girl's exit on steps downstage, Barbra urges, "Kid, keep listening to that voice inside." A highly effective and unique way to start a show which relies heavily on thematic structure to create continuity, all within a unifying concept - the passage of time, with its fond and sometimes painful memories and life lessons, as we enter a new millennium.

Stunning in a grey sequined pantsuit with sleeveless top and full neck, Barbra expresses her gratitude for the audience's decision to join her on New Year's Eve and does her first monologue (yes, with the safety valve of prompter screens, and why shouldn't she?) about memories of those early amateur recordings with her mom and how this is an "appropriate time for all of us to look back and reflect," a perfect segue to "The Way We Were." She delivers the signature number with her usual poignancy and care and then sips a few drinks (her round table, Barbra Streisand rose, and tea service in place) before using a remote control to view several international millennium celebrations and interjecting "Isn't this cool?" A comedy dialogue with a pre-taped Shirley MacLaine on screen follows, as the two good friends revisit the turn of the second millennium. Shirley: "I was there...touring Tibet in Cats." Barbra: "Oh my God, it has been playing forever." This gets a big laugh, and the bit is cute, reminiscent of Mike Myers' Linda Richman sketch with Barbra six years earlier, but the audience seems underwhelmed with this spoken material, which perhaps would be more effective slotted later in the show.

Now it's time for Brother Time to escort Barbra back to her early '60s Bon Soir nightclub days, which is enhanced by a historical video background. Donning a shawl to sing "Cry Me A River" (see above photo) with a bassist right behind her and the only additional accompaniment a piano and drums just as she had in the club, Barbra belts out the song which had always been so emotional for her to perform. Wow, we haven't heard her sing this one in decades! Similarly, the thrill of seeing her return to an old nightclub standby, "Lover, Come Back To Me," is palpable, as she moves on to Basin Street East and adds a brass section, which really makes this song all the jazzier and boiling hot by the time she exclaims "Nowww!" at the end. Continuing to recollect her early '60s musical highlights, Barbra speaks warmly of composer Harold Arlen and sits to perform the first Broadway song she ever sang. Beginning with the rarely heard middle verses, which she has never before recorded, she finally receives the audience's recognition and applause after the line, "When a bee lies sleeping in the palm of your hand." Of course, it's "A Sleepin' Bee," a staple in her nightclub act since her talent contest win in 1960. "Fooled ya," she comically interjects quickly without missing a beat. With a full orchestral backing, Barbra excels on the lovely, longing ballad, her voice sailing with the strings like an effortless glider. Breathtaking.

For "Miss Marmelstein," not sung in 37 years, she pulls on a costume top similar to her clownish dress from her Broadway debut, I Can Get It For You Wholesale, wears eyeglasses, and rolls around on a modern office chair. The arrangement is noticeably more rhythmic and still fun, and the disembodied chiding voices are still there, but it's not designed to be the showstopper it originally was. Barbra substitutes the word "plotz" for "bust" at the comic conclusion. What a departure these last four songs are when compared with her 1994 concert. Here, they fit the show's theme perfectly and could even be exchanged with other early '60s staples and fan favorites, such as "Bewitched," "Much More," and "Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home" on alternating nights.

After reviewing the correct pronunciation of "Strei-sand," and, as Fanny Brice, a comic exchange with the voice of an actor playing Florenz Ziegfeld, she delivers a line which practically brings the house down - "I'm a bagel on a plate full of onion rolls." Memories of Barbra on Broadway and in the film Funny Girl are overflowing during the ensuing medley of "I'm The Greatest Star," "Second Hand Rose," and "Don't Rain On My Parade," each acted out to impress Flo. No doubt that quick sip of tea as the end of "Parade" approached guaranteed that she would hold that final triumphant note, which elicits a standing ovation.

Picking up on the Broadway theme, Barbra follows with two from her near perfect The Broadway Album, because they stand the test of time without having been chart-topping hits. "Something Wonderful" finds Barbra with a new arrangement, more vocally daring and a pleasure to behold, with dramatic purple lighting on the set's Roman columns. The backdrop atop the stage is an Egyptian pyramid. The orchestra segues right into "Being Alive," and Barbra is up to the challenge of Sondheim's vocal workout, with difficult phrasing and pointed emotion. Really feeling it, arms outstretched and gesturing, and voice astounding through the last incredible note.

Turning to memorable movie music, Barbra launches into "As Time Goes By," which we haven't heard her sing since 1972's What's Up, Doc? Gorgeous indeed. Next, a verse or two of "Speak Low" coupled with Brother Time twirling around and with her (sitting on stool) leads to an interesting and revealing anecdote about "Alfie," which she released in 1969 but didn't recognize many years later when hearing it on the radio (a story previously published here on The BSMG's What About Today? album page). Her first live performance is superb and ever so tender at the end. More movies - this time her own and the thrill of writing a song for a film. The Nuts underscore segues into "Evergreen," instantly recognizable from the initial guitar picking. By the end, Barbra is deftly varying pitch on the final elongated note. Always a treat to hear this signature song.

Timeless next explores the final theme of the first act - Barbra's singular relationship with the father she never knew. She begins by recalling problems relating to a discussion about fathers among friends in recent years. Shortly after the discussion, she discovered a letter written by her dad 60 years earlier (on screen), which was a "profound experience for me, mystical." Naturally, the melancholy "Papa, Can You Hear Me?" follows in a new, most unusual arrangement, with Barbra not completing the song but yielding the floor to Lauren Frost, who suddenly reappears as young Barbra singing "You'll Never Know" in front of a full-length mirror. They duet on the song, Frost inserts a snatch of "Papa," and Barbra finishes "You'll Never Know" with a flourish and slight lyrical alteration - "Papa, you'll never know if you don't know now." To close the act and somehow surpass the indelible thrill of Barbra's 1994 "A Piece Of Sky" concert duet with her Yentl character, she reprises the duet (this time the movie is in widescreen) and forms a trio with Frost, who rises from under the stage to join in the celebratory song, now featuring three amazing voices! Needless to say, their enthusiasm and unmatched vocal power trigger the loudest standing ovation of the evening. When Barbra and her new protégée join hands to bow, there is no mistaking this evening with any from Barbra's 1994 concert tour. This is truly a whole new show, full of seamless thematic journeys in time and Barbra's facile ease and generosity sharing the stage with her supporting cast.

An entr'acte opens Act 2, including The Mirror Has Two Faces' buoyant main title, "Memory," "Stoney End," and "Somewhere." Illustrated with a rich video montage of Streisand career highlights, "Putting It Together" matches Barbra's 1985 vocal with Hamlisch's live orchestra, culminating in a staggering still photo slide show. Barbra returns to the stage in a new costume, a magenta empire floor-length gown (and matching ribbon choker) with puffy shoulders wrapped in a light green cloak, and remarks self-deprecatingly, "You get to age publicly." Quickly, she is off to a rousing restart with "On A Clear Day You Can See Forever," always a showstopper (this time adding an unseen choir), which, conversely, concluded 1994's Act 1.

Sitting down to remember the wonderful experience of collaborating with Stephen Sondheim on The Broadway Album, a work certainly deserving of all the attention during the show, Barbra performs "Send In The Clowns." That gentle vibrato just continues to amaze.

Beginning a lengthy thematic section on duets, she recalls her 1963 TV appearance with Judy Garland, as we view a bit of their landmark "Get Happy/Happy Days Are Here Again." Barbra quietly observes, "She was so great." The screening rolls on with Barbra and a few of her many duet partners - Ray Charles ("Crying Time"), Barry Gibb ("Guilty"), Bryan Adams ("I Finally Found Someone"), Celine Dion ("Tell Him"), and perhaps the most enduring, Neil Diamond ("You Don't Bring Me Flowers" at the 1980 Grammy Awards, of course). Barbra chuckles at how she caressed Diamond's cheek back then. Next, and most unexpectedly, it's Barbra and son Jason Gould trying to duet on "Sing" from Sesame Street in a "never released, low-budget, unplugged" 1971 home movie from a cacophonous portion of Jason's 5th birthday party. Very funny stuff, especially with Jason sitting front row center. Barbra soon gets serious, expressing her deep affection for her son with "I've Got A Crush On You." Suddenly, the video screen segues from the adult Jason in The Prince Of Tides to black & white images combining Barbra singing live before our eyes with another duet partner, Frank Sinatra (in footage from the 1950s). Technically and emotionally it succeeds. A classic pairing, even if only a simulation.

Timeless next moves into an elaborate sequence on the frustrations of today's mundane technology in order to introduce a brand-new song, "Simple Pleasures," composed by Hamlisch, with lyrics by Alan & Marilyn Bergman. Barbra comedically and literally juggles a cluster of remote controls (she calls them "clickers"), her mother rises from the stage floor without warning ("I need a mother clicker!"), and she remembers the old days when TV knobs helped us tune in the five longtime New York channels. Finally, her exasperation is best expressed in a tongue-twister poem. Then, she world premieres "Simple Pleasures," a lovely song encouraging us to take time out from technology to do simple things, like reading, phoning friends, and walking on the beach. The final lines read "Candlelight / A chocolate bar / A kiss goodnight / And there you are / With simple pleasures every day."

"Extra! Extra! I'm in love!" Did you ever think you'd hear Barbra Streisand sing those words again? Well two decades later they're back in style. "The '70s, disco...everything old is new again," she says. And this rendition of "The Main Event," which Barbra has never performed live, elicits a spontaneous audience reaction which amazes her, as thousands of commemorative Duracell flashlight wands begin rocking to the beat. She's definitely into it with her three female backup singers, together looking like a girl group from the '60s. She only says one thing which might have sparked the audience demonstration, "This is supposed to be a party."

After literally handing the floor over to Brother Time for a few minutes, who dazzles with unbeatable tap steps, Barbra returns in an elegant white gown (with matching sequined choker) akin to her own wedding dress. Perhaps the next segment has something to do with love? Exactly. Revisiting her father's letter and reading some of its romantic poetry (on screen), she calls it "timeless," verbalizing the show's title for the first time. Images from The Mirror Has Two Faces fill the screen, and the audience rejoices with her about finally "getting the guy" in a movie and real life. That's when her husband, James Brolin, appears on screen, in an attractive photograph, prompting her warm greeting, "Hello, gorgeous!" She asks him (sitting front row center), "Are you embarrassed?" Regardless, the images, now of the couple, continue to screen, as she sings "I've Dreamed Of You" in public for the first time since her 1998 wedding. Her voice, smooth as silk and loving as ever, drifts through the delicate melody, after which she throws JB a kiss and he stands to applaud her. A beautiful segment, perhaps the most moving of the evening.

A brief spoken intro prefaces "At The Same Time," which brings forth a chorus of children and adults who stand atop the fourth tier. Virtually identical to the Higher Ground recording, this song echoes in my mind long after the show concludes, a very effective and perfect anthem for the new millennium.

Speaking of the millennium, the show's focus clearly shifts to the quickly approaching momentous year 2000 at midnight. Barbra explains the origins of "Auld Lang Syne," which means "time remembered with fondness," not so coincidentally Timeless's predominant focus. When she sings the song, it isn't yet midnight, and the tempo is deliberately slow and arrangement sparse. You can hear a pin drop. Brother Time returns to pressure Barbra into doing something about time being so short until midnight. Ample time remains for two Streisand classics, "The Music That Makes Me Dance" (which she dedicates to JB) and "People." Huge applause greets her long, loud, and ringing last note on "Music," which the orchestra accompanies with the original Broadway climax (without the "People" melody insertion as on 1999's A Love Like Ours). Barbra prepares to sing her final song of the second millennium. Before doing so, she relates how hard she considered this choice - "a song that says it all," which she admits was there all the time - "People." The audience certainly agrees. Without cue, everyone holds up their flashlights, and Barbra's rendition (with choir) is spectacular

"Is everybody ready for this?!" Barbra shouts, as a digital video clock begins to count down from two minutes until midnight. Up to the stage comes her husband, and they embrace. Brother Time taps to kill some time (ironic), and Barbra starts counting down from 59 seconds, the audience joining her at 10 seconds. Once 2000 arrives, Hamlisch's orchestra plays "Auld Lang Syne," everyone sings, couples kiss, family, friends, and cast members joined Barbra and JB on stage, seemingly millions of confetti bits rain down, and fireworks are launched above the stage. The celebration continues for several minutes, Barbra & JB dancing at one point, flashlights waving and shining brightly all around. Before its conclusion, Barbra thanks her cast, crew, and musicians, and especially singles out Lauren Frost, whom she calls "glorious-voiced," her own "Mini-Me."

For the first new song of the millennium, she chooses "Friends," the music for which she co-wrote with Hamlisch (The Bergmans wrote the lyrics). In the middle Barbra asks the audience to sing "Auld Lang Syne" (words on screen) while she sings more of "Friends" as a counter-melody, her first duet of the millennium, she says. Concluding, she returns to "Auld Lang Syne," emphasizing the line, "We'll drink a cup of kindness yet."

To conclude the show, as she has done so many times previously, Barbra performs "Happy Days Are Here Again," but this time with the distinctive and rarely heard solo violin intro arranged for her first-ever rendition on The Garry Moore Show in 1962. The arrangement soon transforms into the more modern and familiar one, the choir joining at the end, and her final long single note is absolutely astonishing, as she ostensibly takes no breaths at all to extend it. Massive applause.

Just over an hour in length, Timeless's second act concludes, the curtain closes, but the applause continues. After reopening the curtain, Barbra begins encores with "Don't Like Goodbyes," the seldom, if ever, performed song from her 1964 People album (originally in Harold Arlen & Truman Capote's musical, House Of Flowers, with "A Sleepin' Bee"). Lovely interpretation and perfect for the evening. Next, her parting thought: "We all want to change the world into a better place...all we can really change is ourselves a little bit at a time...then maybe we can change the world." Following this, Barbra glides into "I Believe," with that familiar string introduction from Higher Ground, and works magic on every note. Amazingly, her voice has only strengthened after three hours. The choir is also heard near the end of the song. From here the only place to go is "Somewhere," which builds on the previous song's sentiments and pushes the tempo a bit. Smiles all around, even extending to sparkling newcomer Lauren Frost, who runs to Barbra's side, hugs her, and begins singing the end section of the song with her mentor. They ascend a long staircase, Frost continuing up to join Glover at the top, Barbra taking the final solo finale at midpoint on the staircase and soaring with it as only she can. The resulting audience reaction is thunderous, as Hamlisch blows Barbra a knowing kiss. She looks out over her audience, having just premiered a new musical and gleefully says, "Thank you. Happy New Year!" The curtain closes, but the ovation is ceaseless. When it reopens, Barbra extends more thank-yous, saying finally, "Now you can close the curtain. 2000! Whoa!" Hamlisch and ensemble play out with the big brassy conclusion of "People" as in 1994. Timeless time: 12:25 a.m.
- Mark Iskowitz, 1/1/00 (revised February 3, 2000 - DVD stills added June 2003)

Act 1

1. Overture
2. You'll Never Know (Lauren Frost)
3. Something's Coming (with Frost)
4. The Way We Were
5. Shirley MacLaine Y1K (comedy dialogue)
6. Cry Me A River
7. Lover, Come Back To Me
8. A Sleepin' Bee
9. Miss Marmelstein
10. I'm The Greatest Star / Second Hand Rose / Don't Rain On My Parade
11. Something Wonderful / Being Alive
12. As Time Goes By / Speak Low
13. Alfie
14. Evergreen
15. Papa, Can You Hear Me? / You'll Never Know (with Frost)
16. A Piece Of Sky (with Frost)

Act 2

1. Entr'acte / Putting It Together
2. On A Clear Day (You Can See Forever)
3. Send In The Clowns
4. Duets Section
   • Happy Days Are Here Again / Get Happy (with Judy Garland)
   • Crying Time (with Ray Charles)
   • Guilty (with Barry Gibb)
   • I Finally Found Someone (with Bryan Adams)
   • Tell Him (with Celine Dion)
   • You Don't Bring Me Flowers (with Neil Diamond)
   • Sing (with Jason Gould)
5. I've Got A Crush On You (with Frank Sinatra)
6. Simple Pleasures
7. The Main Event/Fight
8. I've Dreamed Of You
9. At The Same Time
10. Auld Lang Syne
11. The Music That Makes Me Dance
12. People
13. Friends
14. Happy Days Are Here Again

Encores

1. Don't Like Goodbyes
2. I Believe / Somewhere (with Frost)

Reflecting back on my words from the last time we met, much has changed in my life. It is with a renewed sense of hopefulness and serenity that I look forward to all the adventures the next millennium will bring forth. I wish you all the joy that true love can give birth to...wisdom compassion and happiness. (January 1, 2000)