BARBRA WOWS 'EM AT STAPLES.

Byline: Fred Shuster Staff Writer

Fans young and old were enthralled Wednesday as Barbra Streisand said farewell to performing at Staples Center.

Streisand opened her show with songs from the earliest part of her career and moved through Broadway and film tunes. Wearing a glamorous beige pantsuit, Streisand said hello to such friends in the star-studded audience as composer Burt Bacharach, actor Sidney Poitier and humorist Orson Bean.

During the 20-minute intermission, fans clamored around souvenir stands, paying $45 for T-shirts and $25 for programs.

``I'm really glad she's giving us this opportunity to see her,'' said Mark Doyle, 38, a Long Beach marketing communications manager. ``I'm also glad she's moving on with her life, but she's still going to record and make films.''

Streisand said she is retiring from concerts after two upcoming shows at New York's Madison Square Garden.

She also will perform again tonight at Staples Center.

``Her voice sounds incredible,'' said Sterling Andrews, 21, a student at Valley College. ``It's obvious her voice has mellowed over the years. She's an amazing performer with such a wide repertoire.

``She had the entire place in the palm of her hand,'' Andrews said. ``She can do whatever she wants up there and it would be fantastic.''

In one of the concert's most moving moments, Streisand sang ``Cry Me a River'' accompanied by just a few instruments.

It was one of the most intimate segments of the show, which included video and short skits relating to such songs as ``Secondhand Rose.''

Phyllis Klein, 41, a West Los Angeles real estate broker, said Streisand seemed more relaxed than she did at her New Year's Eve show in Las Vegas.

``The crowd here seemed so much more into it,'' Klein said. ``Everybody loves it. The song selection is incredible. She reached back and really took a look at her past and chose the gems.

``So many of us thought we'd never see her doing songs like 'Cry Me a River.' This is stuff you never thought she'd perform again.''

But not everybody in the lobby during intermission was concerned with Streisand.

One concertgoer waiting in line for drinks commented: ``I really wanted to see who got kicked off 'Big Brother' tonight.''

Streisand took the stage a little more than a month after she was spotted cheering President Clinton during his speech before the Democratic National Convention.

Wednesday's concert brought both dedicated and new fans a performance they would remember.

Melissa Meadors, 17, of Chatsworth was there wearing a Streisand T-shirt.

``This is my first concert ever. I am so hyped up right now, I hope I don't cry,'' she said.

Although she is calling it quits for road shows, Streisand has released a new ``Timeless Live in Concert'' disc.

Many believe she is quitting her concert career because of her much-publicized stage fright, but Streisand herself has said touring makes it difficult to spend time with her family, which she cherishes.

Some reports suggest that the Malibu resident and her husband, actor James Brolin, plan to adopt a baby.

Streisand, who has a 33-year-old son from a previous marriage, married Brolin, 60, two years ago.

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo: (1 -- color) no caption (Barbra Streisand)

(2) Melissa Meadors, 17, of Chatsworth had her program, tickets and T-shirt for her first-ever Streisand concert.

(3) Actress Salma Hayek was one of many celebrities who attended one of Barbra Streisand's two final Los Angeles concerts.

John McCoy/Staff Photographer