Ode to a Broadway Star: Bernadette Peters

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)

Ode to a Broadway Star: Patti LuPone

I'm adding a new weekly feature to my blog: Ode to a Broadway Star. I'm starting off with the incomparable Patti LuPone. These are some of my favorite Patti moments and songs. She is out of this world fabulous and we should all bow down.

Buenos Aires, Evita (TONY awards)  Notice her effortless transitions from low notes to high belt


Don't Cry For Me Argentina, Evita Notice the great feathered dress and the high bun


God That's Good, Sweeney Todd Notice that Patti can dance while playing the Tuba


Rose's Turn, Gypsy There is a very special surprise about 16 seconds in...prepare to be LUPONED

Barbie's Showtune of the Day #2: Rose's Turn

Bernadette Peters singing Rose's Turn at the 2003 TONY awards, enough said. The fact the Bernadette did not win the TONY for her portrayal of Mama Rose in Gypsy is, in my opinion, the biggest travesty in TONY history. Mama Rose is without a doubt the best role written for an actress in the musical theatre. Rose's Turn is a phenomenal song that explores such a range of emotion and this performance is simply electrifying.