There are milestone events that happen in every successful creative collaboration, particularly when those involved are just learning how to work through thorny issues together. For Peter Morse and Barbra Streisand, such a moment occurred early in their relationship when they shared a corned beef sandwich lunch after struggling to get a white light background “just right.” They haven’t looked back since.

The corned beef sandwich story says quite a bit about the genuine, down-to-earth connection between the legendary lighting designer and his all-time great vocalist client. It also reveals a great deal about the iconic singer’s relentless attention to even the smallest detail when it comes to lighting. This intense focus, says Morse, is one of the most rewarding and challenging things about working for Barbra Streisand.

For Morse, who has lit a galaxy of superstars in his storied career, the association with Barbra Streisand began when he was lighting Bette Midler’s “Experience The Divine” tour. He was in Philadelphia, and Rob Light, the agent for both superstars, visited the show. The agent asked Morse if he would be interested in interviewing to become the lighting designer for an upcoming Barbra Streisand show.

It didn’t take long for Morse to say “yes.” A short time later, he was in Los Angeles, meeting with the singer, her manager Marty Erlichman, and Light. The meeting went well. The star asked Morse if he was familiar with John Rook, the esteemed broadcast lighting designer. Turned out Morse had collaborated with him on several projects, including a Dolly Parton concert in London. Morse voiced his praise for John Rook. He was hired on the spot, and embarked on a client-lighting designer relationship that would ultimately include a pantheon of stunning show productions, not to mention some tasty corned beef sandwiches.

As a teenager, you were a folk singer, even becoming a member of the New Christy Minstrels. Given this experience, what are the things you admire most about Barbra from a musical perspective?
“Having a background as a musician, I most admire Barbra’s focus on orchestrations and dynamics in her own vocal performance. The arrangements. with which she is intimately involved, the phrasing, the ebb and flow of the overall list of songs in her set — they all reflect greatly on her connection with the lyric and story that each song tells, along with the overall story of her career.”

How about as a lighting designer? What is the best thing about working for her?
“The best thing about working as her lighting designer is the opportunity to illuminate, not only one of the industry’s great vocalists, but to also light her orchestra and stage, while working closely with everyone involved (including, of course, Barbra!) in the overall production.”

What is the most challenging thing about working for her?
“Easily, it’s the task of lighting her. Sure, the specific observations and requests from her regarding overall lighting cues, color, coverage, etc., are demanding. However, most specifically, she is intricately involved in her own lighting. I light her for each show as if it were for full broadcast quality. She is no less demanding. A couple of her tours were 360, with the stage at one end of the arena. She had a walkway that surrounded the orchestra, so she could play directly to house right, house left, and even to those seated upstage, or behind the orchestra. This produced a lighting dilemma, as she expected the same balanced lighting on her wherever she went on the stage. This called for an insane amount of spot calls for the 16 assorted follow spots in the arena.”

Barbra’s career has gone through different phases since you began working for her. How has this changed your approach to designing her shows?
“For the most part, the different phases Barbra’s career has gone through since I began working for her basically encompass the changes in her production designs for each tour. Her career path certainly has not changed a bit! Neither has her song list or even her vocal quality. We have, however, gone through some pretty dynamic set designs — ranging from: a full orchestra placed behind a full backdrop, downstage of which was an all-white set and furniture replicating the living room in her home; to a fully exposed orchestra surrounded by a 360 walkway, (wherein she was able to play to all sides of the arena); to a 40-foot tall pyramid structure, which housed the orchestra on different levels; to, most recently, a paired down orchestra, divided in two (SL and SR) sections with a center aisle leading upstage to a large video wall.

“As a result, while my approach for lighting the scenic elements changed radically with each new design, the most important element of each tour has been Barbra. In that particular area, my approach to lighting her show has never changed. Instead, I’ve stuck with the premise that she IS the show. Bottom line, despite the changes around her, and the need for specific lighting cues to maintain the appropriate environment around her, Barbra must remain lit consistently wherever she wanders on the set. This was, of course, most challenging when we were in the 360degree format!”

You mentioned that Barbra is very involved in lighting decisions. Can you elaborate on that?
“Indeed, Barbra is very involved in lighting decisions. Afterall, she is an accomplished film director. So, she does have solid opinions of how the set and lighting should complement each other, and especially compliment her. Fortunately, we’ve had enough history together now, she is more trusting in the overall lighting of each of her shows. However, she is still observant and critical of any lighting that might conflict with how she wants to be highlighted. In the early stages of working with her, Barbra explained to me how, as a film director, she tends to colorize her scenes as representative of the mood or energy of the scene itself. Thus, she likes for the various songs to be lit accordingly. The only consistent element throughout, again, is the lighting levels and angles on her, with no contamination from overhead effects or color. Occasionally, while viewing the night’s concert on IMAG playback later in the evening, she might see issues or have questions regarding some looks or cues. The following day we go over her questions, and changes are made where necessary. Fortunately, I’ve not received any late-night phone calls the last several years.’

Of all the shows, projects or tours you’ve done with Barbra do any stand out as the most memorable or your favorite?
“There are a couple that are most memorable. Of course, the very first concerts in London at Wembley Arena in 1993 stand out. We were just building a “trust”, and she even told me during rehearsals that she trusted me. Coming from Barbra, those were quite powerful words. Her millennium concerts in Las Vegas, as we saw in the New Year, 2000, were also quite memorable, as we utilized, for the first time in her shows, a large Video Wall, and specialized staging and choreography for the event. We’ve since done shows with guest star duets –definitely one of my favorites – and, my most memorable, -Tel Aviv, Israel. That one was an outdoor stadium concert. After the show, we were all in the green room, celebrating that night as her 100th live concert. Considering her career had spanned more than 50 years, it was remarkable to realize how few shows she had done in that length of time.’

What was your first impression when you started working with Barbra, How has that changed over the years?
“When I first worked with Barbra, she was pretty much set in her ways in terms of what she expected from lighting. Our first meeting was very positive, as we discussed our comparative concepts for lighting, and my actual work history. However, the day came when she came to Sony Studios, where we were programming lighting for her first concert. We were in a large sound stage, with the stage and set at one end, and our lighting control at the other, on a scaffold tower. Her set was all white, the living room set I mentioned earlier, with orchestral seating behind a backdrop to the living room. She and I sat at apron edge, and I ran several cues. Whereupon she asked if I would just give her an all-white look for a moment? I instructed the crew over radio to take out all color from the fixtures for that specific cue.

“She immediately complained that it now looked ‘bluish.’ She was, of course, correct, as all the fixtures had color temperatures in the daylight range or higher. She asked if I could fix that. I then instructed the programmers to add some CTO. She now complained that it looked yellow! Once again her discerning eye was accurate. Meanwhile, I’m thinking:Oh, No! I can’t even give her No Color / White!’ Her managerthen walked up to us and asked if we were doing ok; apparently he was sensing the stress in Barbra’s voice. I replied ‘Sure. We’re just bonding.’ Barbra laughed, then asked me if I was hungry, whereupon she ordered two corned beef sandwiches. The rest of the day went beautifully, and fortunately that has continued.”

What’s the one word that best describes the experience of working for Barbra?
“There is no ONE word that can describe the experience of working for Barbra…. Instead, I can think of: Challenging; Rewarding; Demanding; Quality!!! Give me time, and I’ll think of an appropriate word, or one including a combination of the above.”