What’s Up, Shoshana Bean? The Wicked Diva Salutes Streisand

Broadway audiences know Shoshana Bean for her big-voiced turns in Hairspray (as ensemble girl Shelly—and, sometimes, in a fat suit as Tracy Turnblad) and Wicked (as Elphaba #2, right after Idina Menzel). Audiences at Shoshana Bean: A Happening on Monday, November 30 at the Rose Theatre at Jazz at Lincoln Center will see her in a new role as the ultimate disciple of Miss Barbra Joan Streisand. In the show, Bean will sing both Streisand's greatest hits as well as stripped-down versions of songs from her debut R&B album, Superhero. Broadway.com caught up with her to find out more.

Your new concert is a tribute to the music of Barbra Streisand. Why her?
She's the earliest influence that I can remember. She was always there for me when I was younger.

Who introduced Streisand to you?
My grandmother had all her albums. She was so hip. The Memories album was the pop album of the early '80s. It has "Enough is Enough," "Memory" from Cats, "The Way We Were"…

Any favorite moments to perform in the show?
I live for singing "Down With Love." Also, we do this little medley from The Belle of 14th Street, which has "Some of These Days" and "A Good Man is Hard to Find." That's my other favorite. And in the finale we took one of my songs and put it in the middle of a medley of a bunch of her songs. I love that moment.

You do a mash-up of Shoshana and Streisand?!
[Laughs.] Yes.

Are you trying to sound like her? Doing the classic vocals flourishes?
Some of the vocal style just innately pops in because I've been listening to her stuff for so long, but we have very different voices and I'm definitely not doing any kind of impersonation. It's more like a hat tip to her.

Is it vocally challenging to sing this music?
It is because Streisand has one clear voice. There aren't different sounds or sections of her voice. When I sing pop stuff, there are different colors for every freaking line. It's not about clarity at all, so coming back to this music, I really had to get myself into shape because I wanted to honor her clear sound. And P.S., it's two and a half hours of straight singing by myself! I don't get to stop and do a scene with Glinda and Fiyero So, yeah, it's a challenge but I love it.

So, this is really just a very public audition for a revival of Funny Girl, right?
[Laughs.] Sure, why not? Who wouldn't want to do that show? It's a fantastic role.

OK, time for some hard-hitting topics. Favorite Barbra hairdo?
I love all of the stuff in the On a Clear Day movie. Costume, hair and make-up wise? Genius. I love the little short 'do in My Name is Barbra. I love when she had the side-swept bangs with the up-do. That's her classic look for me. I wasn't a fan of the big curly afro. And of course, I love the look that's been the look for the last 30 years: that sensibly-frosted, perfectly-angled bob.

And how are important are the nails if you're doing a Barbra Streisand concert?
I wish nails would do the trick! It's not just her nails—it's her fingers. She has the longest, most graceful fingers. Her hands are unbelievable. I can't even compete, even with the longest nails. That was the other discussion: do we go all the way there and do the eyeliner and the nails and be a drag queen version of her? But I decided we'll just do sensible odes here and there. We did the side-swept bangs up-do and a dress in her style.

Your own music is far more R&B than anything Streisand has ever touched. If she were going to cover a song from your Superhero album, which should she do?
Ooh, good question. I think either "116" or "Again."

Both ballads. Why those?
"116" is the most theatrical piece on the album and she's typically drawn to those kinds of songs. It's a gut-wrenching story and she can be super-dramatic with it. And I would say "Again" because, let's be honest, there was a chunk of time when she was a bit of a power-ballad queen. It could be arranged for her with strings a la "The Way We Were" and be fantastic!

Would you die if Barbra Streisand sang one of your songs?
Yes! My grandmother would die all over again! Who wouldn't?!

You were recently in Vegas starring in Peep Show. It's what they call a sexy but classy show, right?
It's a burlesque tittie show. But of all the boobie shows on the strip, it is definitely the classiest.

Were your boobies featured at any point?
One night, one accidentally popped out. I wore this corset that fit within an inch of its life. I had to do this backwards somersault on a bed in the show and one night, a little bit came out and I didn't even know. Holly [Madison, her co-star] just reached over and pushed it back in.

Did any participate in any wild Vegas, Paris Hilton-style partying happen while you were living there?
Do you ask that for a specific reason? Because there was a night when Paris Hilton was there and I got in big trouble. I was in the bathroom of a club and suddenly the door flies open and a girl stumbles in and my friend and I were like, "Oh, this girl is gonna puke." And it was Paris Hilton! I immediately pulled out my phone and tweeted: "At the club. Paris Hilton is here wasted." The next week, the press office for the show was calling asking if I wanted to make a statement about her being drunk. I was like, "Absolutely not!"

When was your face last green?
Oh my god. Almost three years now.

Do you miss Wicked and Elphaba at all?
I really miss singing that music, but every time I do a benefit, people ask me to sing that stuff. I miss being part of a cast, part of a family. And I miss a paycheck every Thursday! But the freedom of doing your own thing is really nice. I love that I get to show another side of me in this show. In the ten years that I've been in New York, I've been the go-to pop music girl but I do legitimate musical theater, too. That's what I was raised on and trained in. I can actually sing a song without riffing! A lot of people aren't aware of that, but I can!

For tickets to Shoshana Bean: A Happening, click here.