Barbra Streisand delivers impressive show

For her first tour in 12 years (and, at this rate, maybe her last ever), Barbra Streisand is clearly in a reflective mode.

From the "Funny Girl" overture that opens the evening to the resuscitation of numerous older and fairly obscure songs dating back to her early days, the 64-year-old singer is presenting a show that seems more appropriate for the intimacy of a theater than for the vast arenas she's playing.

Of course, Streisand nonetheless manages to make a good portion of the evening soar, thanks to both her iconic presence and a voice that, while it at times sounded a bit weak compared to her younger days, still has the power to thrill. And she seems to have toned down the vocal excesses and flourishes that occasionally have given her performances a mannered quality over the years, investing her renditions with an impressive sensitivity.

She seems determined to head off criticism at the pass. Clad in flattering black outfits, she makes self-deprecating comments about her appearance. For this opening night in Philadelphia, she rattled off a list of famous area restaurants she supposedly visited in lieu of historical attractions, joking, "The only thing I love more than American democracy is eating." (Needless to say, expect the references to be updated depending on the locale.)

And she openly discussed her reliance on the many teleprompters scattered about, explaining that forgetting the lyrics to several songs at her famous Central Park concert led to her abandonment of live performances for decades. Still, the fact that every onstage comment was scripted inevitably gave the show a stilted feeling.

Not that the audience members, who had paid up to $750 a ticket, seemed to mind. They rose for standing ovations on numerous occasions, especially for the singer's trademark numbers.

Most of those, including "The Way We Were," "Evergreen," "People," "Don't Rain on My Parade" and "My Man," appeared in the first half, giving the evening something of a structural imbalance.

On the other hand, it was a pleasure to hear her revive such little-performed songs, many of them theatrical, as "Starting Here, Starting Now," "Ma Premiere Chanson" (for which she took a tentative stab at the piano), the title number from "Funny Girl," a medley of "Carefully Taught" and "Children Will Listen," "When the Sun Comes Out," "Cockeyed Optimist" (from "South Pacific") and "Woman in the Moon."

The pseudo-classical quartet Il Divo showed up periodically to lend vocal support on such numbers as "Music of the Night" and a gorgeous "Somewhere"; they also performed their own multilingual renditions of such pop chestnuts as "My Way" and "Unchained Melody." They also engaged in flirtatious banter with the singer that had the strained air of a Bob Hope variety show sketch.

The show's nadir comes with an ill-advised comic routine between Streisand and a George W. Bush impersonator, culminating with a duet on "Happy Days are Here Again." More than a few audience members made their displeasure with the mockery known.

Streisand seemed a bit ill at ease at times, though she soon warmed up thanks to the audience's fervor. "Gosh, it pays not to tour for a while," she proclaimed. She was at her best at the end in a glorious reprise of "Parade," in which she displayed the playfulness and energy occasionally lacking in the rest of the performance.