Melinda Schneider's Streisand tribute becomes love letter at Her Majesty's Theatre

Melinda Schneider: The Way We Were celebrates the life and music of Barbra Streisand at Her Majesty's Theatre in Adelaide on Saturday 08 August 2026. Schneider's tribute becomes a love letter to Streisand through her powerhouse voice, emotional storytelling and refusal to imitate, instead honouring the woman and her extraordinary catalogue with warmth and theatrical sophistication. Rating: 5/5

Review by **[Markus Hamence](https://onyourmarkus.au/markus-hamence/)** – **Melinda Schneider: The Way We Were**. Performance date: Saturday 08 August 2026. Her Majesty's Theatre, Adelaide, South Australia.

![Promotional banner for "The Music & Life of Barbra Streisand" featuring a gold silhouette profile and black satin backdrop.](https://media.onyourmarkus.au/admin/2026/08/26d97a85-171c-466a-9e38-82cd36190a09.jpg)

There are tribute shows, and then there are love letters. **Melinda Schneider**’s ***The Way We Were (The Life and Music of Barbra Streisand)*** is most definitely a love letter - a beautifully crafted, emotionally rich celebration of Barbra Streisand that swept into Adelaide’s **Her Majesty’s Theatre **on Saturday night with glamour, heart and one hell of a voice. Schneider isn’t interested in becoming Streisand; instead, she honours the woman, the music and the extraordinary career behind those songs, bringing her own warmth and personality to material that has lived in our collective soundtrack for decades.

Schneider’s connection to Streisand runs deep. She has spoken about first falling in love with *The Way We Were* at just three years old, when her mother taught her the song on ukulele. That personal connection becomes the heartbeat of the evening. This is not a collection of hits simply strung together; Schneider takes us through Streisand’s life and career, exploring the resilience, ambition, creativity and determination of an artist who refused to fit comfortably inside anyone else’s expectations.

And then, of course, there is that voice.

Schneider has always been a superb vocalist, but this material allows her to explore another dimension. There’s restraint when restraint is needed, vulnerability where the lyric demands it, and then those glorious moments when she simply lets the voice fly. Tackling songs forever associated with one of the greatest vocalists of the past century is no small assignment, but Schneider wisely avoids imitation. She finds herself inside the songs.

That decision is what makes *The Way We Were* work.

> “Melinda Schneider turns *The Way We Were* into something far greater than a tribute - it’s a dazzling love letter to Streisand, delivered with heart, class and a powerhouse voice.” Markus Hamence

The live band, vocal harmonies and strings give the production a lush, cinematic quality worthy of Streisand’s extraordinary catalogue. At Her Majesty’s Theatre, the music felt right at home - sophisticated without becoming stuffy, theatrical without losing intimacy. At times it felt less like a tribute concert and more like we had wandered onto the soundstage of some fabulous old Hollywood musical. Melinda can create that magic.

The show moves through Streisand’s Broadway beginnings, film work and chart successes, allowing the audience to remember just how enormous her contribution to popular culture has been. But Schneider also understands that these songs come loaded with memories. Everyone in that theatre seemed to have their own relationship with them - a person, a place, a moment, a heartbreak, a love.

And that is where the evening really lands.

Opening with Don't Rain On My Parade (and trust me, nobody was about to) started off the evening and the beloved songs from an abundant catalogue kept flowing throughout. Papa Can You Hear Me, Guilty, You Don't Bring Me Flower... They all kept coming INCLUDING a self-penned (by Scheinder) ode to Babs 'Further Than My Fear'.

There is something wonderfully human about watching the humble Schneider share music that clearly means so much to her. Between the powerhouse moments are stories, reflections and flashes of humour that remove any sense of distance between performer and audience. She is relaxed, generous and completely comfortable in her role as storyteller. You’re not being lectured on the career of Barbra Streisand; you’re sitting with someone who genuinely adores her and wants to tell you why.

> “Schneider doesn’t imitate Streisand; she honours her - finding her own truth inside these iconic songs and giving Adelaide an unforgettable night of music, memories and pure showbiz magic.” Markus Hamence

When *The Way We Were* arrives, it carries exactly the emotional weight you hope it will. A song about memory becomes, in Schneider’s hands, a reminder of why great music survives generations. We change. The world changes. The people around us come and go. Yet somehow a few notes can transport us straight back to who we were.

That’s the magic here.

*The Way We Were* celebrates Barbra Streisand, absolutely, but it also reminds us what a formidable Australian performer Melinda Schneider is. More than 40 years into her own career, the six-time Golden Guitar winner continues to evolve, taking audiences beyond the country music world with theatrical concert productions built around artists including Doris Day, Joni Mitchell and Karen Carpenter. Streisand feels like a natural next chapter.

There are big voices, big songs and plenty of old-school showbiz glamour, sentimental stories told with authenticity, but Schneider never allows the spectacle to overwhelm the emotion. She knows exactly when to soar and, perhaps more importantly, when to pull everything back and simply let a lyric breathe.

By the end, Adelaide wasn’t merely remembering Barbra Streisand. We were celebrating Melinda Schneider too.

**The Way We Were is elegant, nostalgic and gloriously heartfelt - Melinda Schneider doesn’t impersonate Barbra Streisand, she steps into the emotional world of her songs and makes us fall in love with them