As you all know, there are many, many performers that I respect and several women that I look up to as singers and actresses, but there are only three that I call my idols, and one of them is Miss Bernadette Peters. Yes she is a great singer and a phenomenal actress, but what makes her truly special is her charisma and her presence. She has more talent in her hair alone than most of today's Broadway performers could ever hope to have in their whole bodies. Elaine Stritch once said that Bernadette is like a modern day version of her close friend. the late Judy Garland, and I think that comparison is spot on. Both women are incredibly unique, both in their voices and their performance style. But most of all, Bernadette, like Judy before her, has the rare ability to break your heart and make you feel like you are on top of the world simply with the sound of her voice. I admire her for her range, her willingness to take risks with different characters, and for her commitment to preserving the art form that we all know and love as the American musical theatre. While she has pursued a film and concert career, she will always be a Broadway Baby and one of our very own. In my opinion, she has no match in the musical theatre, and for me, she is the be all and end all.
Here are a few of my favorite examples of Bernadette as a performer, from the cute and sassy to the passionate, raw, and heartbreaking.
You Could Drive a Person Crazy, Sondheim's Company (Concert at Royal Festival Hall in London)
Not A Day Goes By, Sondheim's Merrily We Roll Along (Concert at Royal Festival Hall in London)
Rose's Turn, Gypsy (2003 Tony Awards)
Time Heals Everything, Herman's Mack and Mabel (Concert at Royal Festival Hall in London)
Bernadette's performance of Not A Day Goes By may be one of my favorite performances by anyone ever.
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