It seems important, now that Bernadette Peters is dominating Broadway again, to collect some trivia. And “trivia” is not really the right noun.
-How do you stay so trim at 71? You eat “three smiles of grapefruit” for breakfast. Later: salad and a tiny sliver of salmon. Sometimes, with your assistant, you’ll split a “Kind” bar--and the splitting is important because, of course, it halves the calories. (And the Kind half-bar is for "cheat" days.)
-Bernadette never legally changed her name. Really, it’s still “Bernadette Lazarre.” Her mother--a textbook example of the “stage mother” phenomenon--claimed she needed to change it to “Peters” because that’s shorter, and you need a short name if you’re going to appear on a Broadway marquee. But Bernadette--never a fool--observed that the difference between “Lazarre” and “Peters” is just one letter. And so she learned an early lesson about ethnicity, and public perception, and the ugly demands of stardom.
-As far as I know, Patti LuPone has never stepped in as a replacement. And she seems to have a preference for new material. And so she has given us “War Paint” and “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.” By contrast, and this is rare in theater history, the powerhouse diva Bernadette Peters has twice consented to replace another star--Catherine Zeta-Jones, in “A Little Night Music,” and Bette Midler, in “Hello, Dolly!” Bernadette has also sent a message with her other choices in the past fifteen-ish years, and the message seems to be: “Sondheim or bust.” So: “Follies,” “Gypsy,” “Night Music.” Irving Berlin makes the cut (“Annie, Get Your Gun.”) And now Jerry Herman.
-Bernadette won her first Tony for “Song and Dance.” I think this is also Andrew Lloyd Webber’s best work. Is there any serious rival here? It’s a simple story about a young British woman who moves to America, falls in love, has her heart broken, and thus enters adulthood. “Mike is what you’d call Midwestern. Hard to tell you what that means...” Bernadette is writing home to her “dearest Mum.” “He sells software and must travel, so at home he likes relaxing. And as we talk, he runs his fingertips all over my...” Bernadette thinks better of this last line: Her voice trails off as she works the eraser on her pencil. Form underlines content. Mum is forgotten. Bernadette steps downstage and sings directly to her obsession, her Beloved: “I have never felt like this. For once, I’m lost for words. What ever made you choose me? No matter what I do, I see your face appearing. Like an unexpected song--an unexpected song--that only we are hearing.” Goosebumps!
-Later, the affair crumbles. Mike’s friends approach Bernadette; Mike has been cheating. Bernadette has a great rage-filled number: “Take that look off your face. I can see through your smile.” And then ALW’s canonical song of being-ennobled-through-loss: “Don’t get drunk and slam the door. That’s no way to end this. I know how I want you to say goodbye. Find a circus ring with a flying trapeze. Tell me on a Sunday, please.” Throughout, Bernadette has that special look on her face. It’s that look that says: “I am one split second away from total nervous collapse, but if you think you’ll see me weak, you can fuck off.” It’s a billboard for the Divided Self. It’s how Bernadette has made her millions. Half-sadness, half-steeliness. I think anyone genuinely funny--as Bernadette is--must have some major, unusual demons. I think that’s what drew Sondheim to Bernadette.
-Bernadette’s first big break was in a national touring company of “Gypsy,” where she played the understudy to (the child version of) June. But her mother fudged her resume. Somehow, “understudy” was dropped from the credit.
-Bernadette really waited until the eighties to address her singing. To fine-tune her “instrument.” From then on, to the present: Daily vocal lessons. There’s also the steady diet of meditation and pilates.
-“Into the Woods” yielded a Drama Desk nomination, but not a Tony nomination, for BP. Bernadette had stepped in for Betty Buckley (pre-previews). It was unusual to have someone of Bernadette’s stature take on what was essentially a supporting role. Steve wrote new material for her. (Buckley: "If he'd included that new material from the get-go, I wouldn't have dropped out of the show.") Since those days, Bernadette’s role has gone to Donna Murphy, Heather Headley, Meryl Streep, Vanessa Williams, Phylicia Rashad, Julia McKenzie. All stood on the shoulders of one giant: BP. I offer this just as context, should you happen to see Ms. Peters in “Hello, Dolly!” It’s nice to have the facts!
P.S. There have been seven Tony nominations in all, even despite that crazy omission during the “Into the Woods” year. How many can YOU name???
P.P.S. Here it is. “Unexpected Song.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq72aBL7GLY
-How do you stay so trim at 71? You eat “three smiles of grapefruit” for breakfast. Later: salad and a tiny sliver of salmon. Sometimes, with your assistant, you’ll split a “Kind” bar--and the splitting is important because, of course, it halves the calories. (And the Kind half-bar is for "cheat" days.)
-Bernadette never legally changed her name. Really, it’s still “Bernadette Lazarre.” Her mother--a textbook example of the “stage mother” phenomenon--claimed she needed to change it to “Peters” because that’s shorter, and you need a short name if you’re going to appear on a Broadway marquee. But Bernadette--never a fool--observed that the difference between “Lazarre” and “Peters” is just one letter. And so she learned an early lesson about ethnicity, and public perception, and the ugly demands of stardom.
-As far as I know, Patti LuPone has never stepped in as a replacement. And she seems to have a preference for new material. And so she has given us “War Paint” and “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.” By contrast, and this is rare in theater history, the powerhouse diva Bernadette Peters has twice consented to replace another star--Catherine Zeta-Jones, in “A Little Night Music,” and Bette Midler, in “Hello, Dolly!” Bernadette has also sent a message with her other choices in the past fifteen-ish years, and the message seems to be: “Sondheim or bust.” So: “Follies,” “Gypsy,” “Night Music.” Irving Berlin makes the cut (“Annie, Get Your Gun.”) And now Jerry Herman.
-Bernadette won her first Tony for “Song and Dance.” I think this is also Andrew Lloyd Webber’s best work. Is there any serious rival here? It’s a simple story about a young British woman who moves to America, falls in love, has her heart broken, and thus enters adulthood. “Mike is what you’d call Midwestern. Hard to tell you what that means...” Bernadette is writing home to her “dearest Mum.” “He sells software and must travel, so at home he likes relaxing. And as we talk, he runs his fingertips all over my...” Bernadette thinks better of this last line: Her voice trails off as she works the eraser on her pencil. Form underlines content. Mum is forgotten. Bernadette steps downstage and sings directly to her obsession, her Beloved: “I have never felt like this. For once, I’m lost for words. What ever made you choose me? No matter what I do, I see your face appearing. Like an unexpected song--an unexpected song--that only we are hearing.” Goosebumps!
-Later, the affair crumbles. Mike’s friends approach Bernadette; Mike has been cheating. Bernadette has a great rage-filled number: “Take that look off your face. I can see through your smile.” And then ALW’s canonical song of being-ennobled-through-loss: “Don’t get drunk and slam the door. That’s no way to end this. I know how I want you to say goodbye. Find a circus ring with a flying trapeze. Tell me on a Sunday, please.” Throughout, Bernadette has that special look on her face. It’s that look that says: “I am one split second away from total nervous collapse, but if you think you’ll see me weak, you can fuck off.” It’s a billboard for the Divided Self. It’s how Bernadette has made her millions. Half-sadness, half-steeliness. I think anyone genuinely funny--as Bernadette is--must have some major, unusual demons. I think that’s what drew Sondheim to Bernadette.
-Bernadette’s first big break was in a national touring company of “Gypsy,” where she played the understudy to (the child version of) June. But her mother fudged her resume. Somehow, “understudy” was dropped from the credit.
-Bernadette really waited until the eighties to address her singing. To fine-tune her “instrument.” From then on, to the present: Daily vocal lessons. There’s also the steady diet of meditation and pilates.
-“Into the Woods” yielded a Drama Desk nomination, but not a Tony nomination, for BP. Bernadette had stepped in for Betty Buckley (pre-previews). It was unusual to have someone of Bernadette’s stature take on what was essentially a supporting role. Steve wrote new material for her. (Buckley: "If he'd included that new material from the get-go, I wouldn't have dropped out of the show.") Since those days, Bernadette’s role has gone to Donna Murphy, Heather Headley, Meryl Streep, Vanessa Williams, Phylicia Rashad, Julia McKenzie. All stood on the shoulders of one giant: BP. I offer this just as context, should you happen to see Ms. Peters in “Hello, Dolly!” It’s nice to have the facts!
P.S. There have been seven Tony nominations in all, even despite that crazy omission during the “Into the Woods” year. How many can YOU name???
P.P.S. Here it is. “Unexpected Song.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tq72aBL7GLY
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