Barbra Streisand's First Broadway Gig Was Less Than Glamorous (& Paid Terribly)

Barbra Streisand's first job was a glaring indicator of the bright future she had ahead. Speaking to HBR in 2012, the "Woman In Love" singer admitted that her creative spark had burned so bright from a young age that she felt as if she was hard-wired to be a performer. Unfortunately, her mother didn't share the same belief. During an appearance on Alec Baldwin's "Here's The Thing" podcast, the Broadway icon shared that her mother urged her to take a more traditional route in life, similar to her father, who was a teacher. 

However, Streisand disregarded her mother's notions and moved out of her parents' home when she was around 16 to make her dreams a reality. In a chat with BBC in 2023, the "Funny Girl" star shared that her newfound independence came with the hefty price tag of managing her own finances. So, she started working as a clerk through the week and a theater usher on the weekends. 

Speaking to Baldwin for his podcast, Streisand shared that she chose her weekend job because it enabled her to exercise her passion for theater without having to pay a dime. But she admitted to BBC that the gig wasn't without its downsides, explaining, "I got paid $4.50, I think it was, but I always hid my face because I thought someday I'd be well-known," she continued. "Isn't that funny? I didn't want people to recognize me on the screen and know that I once showed them to their seats."

Speaking on NPR's "It's Been A Minute, Barbra Streisand shared that although she had her heart set on being an actor, she had to settle on a career as a singer because she was unable to book acting gigs. During an appearance on NPR's "Fresh Air" in 2024, she recalled that she already had the acting bug when she was in her early teens and would make the long commute from Brooklyn to Manhattan to attend acting classes. 

While Streisand didn't recall any negative memories from the time, she admittedly had a bit of a disconnect when she tried her hand at singing classes. During a 2003 interview for NPR's "Morning Edition," the singer-songwriter recalled how she couldn't follow the teacher's instructions for changing up letters in a word to form a note. "I have to sing like I would speak, and that was the end of my singing lessons," Streisand asserted. Still, everything ended up working out just fine for her. 

After her singing won over several hearts at a talent show in a Manhattan gay bar in 1960, Streisand had a stunning transformation and started performing all over town, and her career caught fire. Although Streisand's net worth only increased as the years went by, she still felt something was amiss. Streisand told BBC that she realized she missed out on having fun in her younger years, but she intended to make up for lost time in her marriage with James Brolin.