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ALL ABOUT BARBRA

In addition to his frequent gigs in NYC, Steven Brinberg has done his vocally uncanny impersonation of Barbra Streisand in various cities as a guest artist in symphony orchestra concerts conducted by Marvin Hamlisch, in solo shows throughout the U.S. as well as in London, Australia, Hong Kong, etc., and at the Library of Congress in a star-studded event to honor Stephen Sondheim. Brinberg’s upcoming New York gig at Birdland on Monday, April 17 is noteworthy in that it will celebrate the 64th birthday of the unstoppable Streisand, who’s reportedly planning yet another “farewell” concert tour.

“Her actual birthday is the 24th, but the club was booked for a private event that night,” he explains “I’m preparing a special program with some stuff that I put in for my recent shows in London, like ‘Just Leave Everything to Me’ from the Hello, Dolly! movie and the entire circus medley from Color Me Barbra — though we won’t have the animals! Because Birdland is a jazz club, I’m also thinking of including that jazzy version of ‘I Got Rhythm’ from Barbra Streisand and Other Musical Instruments. And I’ll be doing impressions of a whole bunch of other people I haven’t done before; I’m imagining some of our greatest divas in various Broadway musicals, like Sarah Vaughan in Phantom and Cher in Avenue Q.”

Guest stars in past Brinberg-as-Barbra shows have ranged from Audra McDonald to Pat Suzuki to Charles Busch, and his audiences have included such notables as Liza Minnelli and Arthur Laurents, who commented: “This is like seeing Barbra in a fun-house.” The Birdland event will showcase three rising Broadway stars, each of whom will sing a duet with “Barbra”: David Burnham, a member of the ensemble and understudy for Fabrizio in The Light in the Piazza; Matt Cavenaugh, who became a matinee idol when he starred in Urban Cowboy and who is currently featured in the Off-Broadway hit Grey Gardens; and Daniel Reichard, one of the fabulous Jersey Boys (he plays Bob Gaudio). “David was fantastic when I saw him go on as Fabrizio in Piazza,” Brinberg kvells. “Matt has done my show before, and he has great comic timing. Daniel sings beautifully in Jersey Boys, and he was so funny in Forbidden Broadway.” The musical director for Monday’s show will be Brinberg’s longtime colleague Christopher Denny.

Brinberg is looking forward to some more concerts with Hamlisch (“the next one is in Fort Worth in June”) and a mini-tour of the U.K. in September. “I’m going to try out new material for Barbra’s tour,” he cracks. Also, he’s putting the finishing touches on his long-delayed album of “Barbra” duetting with the likes of Kaye Ballard, Karen Mason, Mimi Hines, and Lestat star Hugh Panaro. “Of course,” he says, “I’d be willing to push back the release date if Barbra would agree to sing with me. I’d love that — as long as I can have complete creative control!” For more information on Brinberg’s show at Birdland and other events in the club’s spring season, click here.

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NO MORE MISTER WISEGUY

Eugene Pontecorvo, the role played by Robert Funaro on the megahit TV series The Sopranos, was a peripheral character — until the first episode of the current season. “I got a call from [series creator] David Chase and he said, ‘I have good news and bad news,’ ” Funaro relates. ” ‘The good news is that you’ve got great material to start off the season; you really get to do everything. The bad news is, you’re dead!’ ” (Unable to extricate himself from the mob, Eugene committed suicide by hanging.)

I first met Funaro many years ago when we played opposite each other in a Staten Island community theater production of Israel Horovitz’s The Indian Wants the Bronx; I was the Indian, he was the street tough who harasses and ultimately attacks the poor guy. As we catch up during our interview, Funaro tells me that he got the Sopranos gig through an important connection he made while appearing in a Scandinavian tour of A Streetcar Named Desire. “It was my first professional job, about 18 years ago,” he says. “I played Stanley, and James Gandolfini played Mitch. He was a wonderful Mitch. Years later, when I was working at Carolines [Comedy Club], Jimmy came down one night. He asked me if I wanted to audition for The Sopranos, and I said ‘Sure!’ I read for David Chase and he liked me so much that he told me, ‘I’m going to create a character for you.’ ”

Whether on stage or screen, Funaro is a powerful actor. Currently, he’s giving a chilling performance as a highly disturbed, sexually abusive dentist in Clay McLeod Chapman’s pearls, one of four one-acts being performed at the 45th Street Theater under the collective title Dread Awakening. (The other plays are by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Eric Sanders, and Justin Swain.) Funaro describes his role as that of a “serial dentist,” going on to explain: “He’s in love with one of his patients. When she’s asleep in his chair, he does things to her. In his mind, they have a great relationship.”

Funaro has rarely been absent from the stage for long. He’s an active member of Without Papers, a New York theater company formed by Maureen Van Zandt, who plays Gabriella Dante on The Sopranos. “We did Burn This at the Shetler on 54th Street,” he tells me — but anyone who has enjoyed Funaro’s intense performances on stage or TV and therefore assumes that he had the role of Pale in Lanford Wilson’s play would be mistaken. “Actually,” he says, “I stretched it a bit and played Burton, the guy who’s left with the Wild Turkey at the end of the show. I cut my hair and I had that whole writer’s look. It was a lot of fun! I also was in a production of Golden Boy for Maureen, and I directed her in a play called Etta Jenks, about a would-be actress who moves to Hollywood and gets caught up in pornography.”

Meaty material is Funaro’s lifeblood, and pearls is no exception. Though very short, it’s a terrific showcase for his acting skills — basically a monologue with occasional interjections by the dentist’s patient, played by Meredith Holzman. “The best way to describe it is that it’s like a Miles Davis piece, almost an improvisation,” says the actor. “There’s a Beckett feel to it, and Pinter and Shepard. It’s kind of surreal. I love it.”