World Premiere. Hayes Theatre Company. 21 Jan – 14 Feb, 2026.
The Greatest Star is a tribute show — a concert of big emotional ballads (and some disco hits) united by one common theme: songs Barbra Streisand made famous. And as someone who likes, but doesn’t love, the famous diva, I’ve got to say I was thoroughly transfixed.
This is a lyrical love-in. There’s no plot and only minimal, occasionally awkward banter. It’s not a biographical walk-through of Streisand’s career. Instead, it’s hit after hit after song-you-don’t-know-she’d-covered after hit. No one is doing Streisand drag. These are simply four formidable voices doing their best to keep up with the legend. As the cast joke, this is the only show where the singers aren’t vying to be the one to have to hit the high notes.
The cast is exceptionally well balanced. Brittanie Shipway pulls double duty as both director and the quartet’s powerhouse musical theatre voice, bringing clarity and control to even the most demanding numbers. She’s joined by Stellar Perry, who clearly relishes Streisand’s pop catalogue with buoyant performances of ‘A Woman in Love’ and ‘Guilty’, as well as standards like ‘Down With Love’. Tana Laga’aia taps into Streisand’s soulful side with warmly felt solos including ‘The Way We Were’ and ‘Bewitched (Bothered and Bewildered)’.
The real surprise, though, is hearing musical theatre composer Laura Murphy step out from behind the scenes and belt alongside the best of them. Her contributions — from musical comedy to full-throated ballads such as ‘Funny Girl’, ‘Fifty Percent’ and ‘Evergreen’ — land with confidence and charm.
It’s when the ensemble come together, however, that the room really starts to lift. ‘Don’t Rain on My Parade’ becomes a triumphant trio for Murphy, Perry and Shipway. Clever mash-ups and medleys build satisfying crescendos, including a blend of ‘Tell Him’ (Streisand’s duet with Céline Dion) and ‘I Finally Found Someone’ (originally recorded with Bryan Adams), the classic Streisand and Judy Garland pairing of ‘Get Happy / Happy Days Are Here Again’, and the show’s harmony-rich finale of ‘Home’ and ‘A Piece of Sky’.
Designer Brendan De La Hay delivers a set that more than meets the material, with Peter Rubie’s lighting providing some standout moments. The stage is dressed in soft, luxurious violets, magentas, lavenders and pinks, anchored by three classic portraits of Streisand framed at the back. It’s a space clearly designed for divas to rule — and they do. After the disappointing lack of design in last year’s Sondheim cabaret Being Alive, it’s refreshing to see so much care and attention lavished here.
The show also embraces a level of camp befitting the artist whose face launched a thousand drag queens. The heightened emotions of these songs, and the unrestrained passion of Streisand’s delivery, are easy to mock — yet they stubbornly resist the cynicism and numbness of modern life. Streisand’s music insists on embracing life’s extremes, and this production rides that emotional roller coaster with conviction: heartbreak, yearning, determination and joy in equal measure.
Lovers of big voices will be in cabaret heaven. Streisand devotees will be lip-synching in their seats. No one is raining on this hit parade.
Cultural Binge 
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