Diva Dream Team: The Missed Collaboration of Streisand, Madonna, and Midler

NEW YORK, March 19, 2025 — A long-rumored musical collaboration featuring Barbra Streisand, Madonna, and Bette Midler almost materialized during the production of Streisand’s 1993 album, Back to Broadway. In a recent interview, Streisand’s A&R representative, Jay Landers, revealed the details of this intriguing yet unfulfilled project.

The concept was to cover the classic show tune ‘Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better‘ from the musical Annie Get Your Gun. According to Landers, legendary producer David Foster created a demo that led to a brainstorming session about potential collaborators. “We said, ‘Well, who could we do this with?'” Landers recounted. “And we chose Madonna and Bette. So it was going to be the three of them.”

Envisioned as a playful vocal showdown, the track would culminate with humorous banter among the three women in a ladies’ room. “Madonna and Bette would be kvetching, ‘God, she’s such a b–ch! She’s so controlling,’ before Streisand interrupts from a stall, ‘Ladies! I’m in here!’ That’s how the song was going to end,” Landers explained.

Foster’s arrangement aimed to reflect each singer’s unique style. Landers shared that the song would start similarly to the familiar rendition we know today, featuring a “Madonna disco beat” during her section and a motif reminiscent of Midler’s famous hit ‘Wind Beneath My Wings.’ “So it touched upon their sounds. Really clever,” said Landers.

Despite securing agreement from all three superstars, the collaboration fell through at the last minute when Madonna became unavailable for reasons not disclosed. “That’s one of those ‘fish that got away’ stories,” Landers said. The moment was particularly challenging, as Madonna was at the peak of both her music and film careers at the time.

While the collaboration with Madonna and Midler didn’t happen, it showcased a missed opportunity to witness a formidable trio on one track. Landers expressed his disappointment, noting, “It would have been fun.”

Although their magical trio never hit the studio, the album featured other notable contributions, including a duet with Johnny Mathis on ‘I Have a Love/One Hand, One Heart’ from West Side Story and performances by Michael Crawford, who originated the role in The Phantom of the Opera.

Streisand, who made her Broadway debut in 1962, has continuously evolved as an artist. She received a Tony Award nomination for {i>I Can Get It for You Wholesale and a special Tony in 1970 for her contributions to Broadway, making her one of the icons of the stage.