Bernadette Peters :~ 'Ozone Baby'
Feb 6, 2021 23:17:36 GMT
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Post by petrolino on Feb 6, 2021 23:17:36 GMT
Bernadette Peters : 'Hasty Pudding Woman Of The Year' (1987)
'Ozone Baby' ~ Led Zeppelin
Bernadette Peters (née Lazzara) was born into a Sicilian-American family in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. Her mother, Marguerite (née Maltese), managed to get her to appear on the television show 'Juvenile Jury' when she was just three years of age. Her father, Peter Lazzara, drove a delivery truck. Peters appeared on a number of television shows during early childhood.
"When Bernadette Peters is working, she organises her life around the show, arriving at the theatre hours early, trying to avoid anything that might distract her. “You have to be very regimented,” she says. “You have to make sure you get eight hours of sleep. You can’t go to loud restaurants – you’ll lose your voice. You can’t talk on the phone too much. But the payoff is so, so beautiful. You make your instrument ready to go, ready to receive.”
In case you were curious about her physical beauty, let’s start with the hair. She straightened it until her late 20s, she says, then she let it curl. These days she swears by a leave-in conditioner from Mixed Chicks, with occasional help from a curling iron. Her skin she owes to her Sicilian genes, a devotion to the Mediterranean diet and the fact that she never learned to swim, “so I never went in the sun”. (A few years ago, she did learn to put her face in the water, for a cut scene from the movie Coming Up Roses.) She used to use a moisturiser from La Prairie, but the company changed the formula.
I ask if her prettiness ever seemed limiting, those decades of reviews that compared her to Betty Boop and kewpie dolls. The question surprises her. “I’m loving this!” she says. “I never thought I was pretty. That’s so funny.” But she acknowledges that people didn’t always take her seriously. “I always thought, ‘That’s OK, because one day they’ll see that I can do that.’ I used to have the best attitude.”
In case you were curious about her physical beauty, let’s start with the hair. She straightened it until her late 20s, she says, then she let it curl. These days she swears by a leave-in conditioner from Mixed Chicks, with occasional help from a curling iron. Her skin she owes to her Sicilian genes, a devotion to the Mediterranean diet and the fact that she never learned to swim, “so I never went in the sun”. (A few years ago, she did learn to put her face in the water, for a cut scene from the movie Coming Up Roses.) She used to use a moisturiser from La Prairie, but the company changed the formula.
I ask if her prettiness ever seemed limiting, those decades of reviews that compared her to Betty Boop and kewpie dolls. The question surprises her. “I’m loving this!” she says. “I never thought I was pretty. That’s so funny.” But she acknowledges that people didn’t always take her seriously. “I always thought, ‘That’s OK, because one day they’ll see that I can do that.’ I used to have the best attitude.”
Her attitude still seems pretty good and, while some actresses struggle to find rewarding work after 40 or 50 or 60, this hasn’t been her problem. Peters recently stepped into the revival of Hello, Dolly! just as she was winding up a starring turn on Mozart in the Jungle and an arc on The Good Fight. She doesn’t have any dream roles, but she likes surprises. “Things are brought to me,” she says. “I think, ‘Oh, this would be nice to do. This might be exciting.’” (A new enthusiasm: Beyoncé. She’s been listening to her at the gym. Will Single Ladies work its way into her set list, between Children Will Listen and Being Alive? Not any time soon.)
She hopes to catch Follies when she is performing her concert in London, once she is over the jet lag. Is it ever strange, to see someone else play a part she has inhabited, to hear someone else sing the songs that are still in her repertory?
“It’s a relief,” she says."
She hopes to catch Follies when she is performing her concert in London, once she is over the jet lag. Is it ever strange, to see someone else play a part she has inhabited, to hear someone else sing the songs that are still in her repertory?
“It’s a relief,” she says."
- Alexis Soloski, The Guardian (article published May 30, 2019)
Bernadette Peters appearing on stage in 'Gypsy' in 2003
Bernadette Peters speaks with Stephen Colbert
In 1958, Peters earned her Actors Equity Card. She adopted the stage name 'Peters' in honour of her father (actors were expected to avoid ethnic names wherever possible as these could lead to typecasting and hinder careers significantly). Her newfound equity allowed her to make her professional stage debut, which came about when she was selected for 'This Is Goggle', a comedy being directed by Otto Preminger. 'This Is Goggle' never made it to Broadway but it was an important learning experience for a young performer.
Keeping busy throughout the year, Peters caught a break in 1959 when she was cast in a New York City Center revival of 'The Most Happy Fella'. As she entered into her teenage years, Peters ran up against casting agents who told her she was too short to hold the main stage, but she was determined to defy expectations. This is exactly what she did, and she did it by developing a work ethic that was second to none.
"I heard her sing an odd phrase or two and thought, 'God that's a big voice out of that little girl.'"
- Marvin Laird on first hearing his friend and frequent collaborator Bernadette Peters
"It's tough being a 5-foot, 90-pound woman. I had to spend my whole life acting tough or else people would push me around."
- Pat Benatar
Dennis Allen & Bernadette Peters
Bernadette Peters, Carl Ballantine & Bruce Davison
Bernadette Peters & Kermit The Frog
Bernadette Peters performs as Gelsomina in a 1969 Broadway production of 'La Strada'
New York Catholics Pat Benatar (née Andrzejewski) and Cyndi Lauper were both born in Brooklyn in 1953, but Lauper grew up in Ozone Park. Lauper's mother, Catrine (née Gallo), was of Italian descent (from Sicily). A prodigious talent, Benatar was a Polish-American who trained as a coloratura soprano and entered into musical theatre, where she came under the wing of musician Harry Chapin. With her 4-octave range and perfect pitch, fleet-footed soprano Lauper became noted for her baby doll intonation on New York's late-night lounge circuit, whilst simultaneously performing singing duties for a variety of cover bands.
Talk show host Johnny Carson was instrumental in bringing the music of Harry Chapin to audiences, inviting the composer to perform on 'The Tonight Show' many times. Carson was also instrumental in familiarising audiences with the talents of Bernadette Peters. An Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker, Chapin served as a mentor to musician and horror filmmaker Wes Craven whom he trained to be an editor.
"There are singers and there are actresses; there are entertainers and there are stars. And then, there is Bernadette Peters. On Saturday night, the nonpareil Broadway artist turned the Valley Performing Arts Center into her own personal salon, with magical results.
From first entrance in a glittering lilac gown that looked as if she'd been poured into it, the diminutive Peters held the capacity crowd in thrall. Launching a jazzy "Let Me Entertain You" with an insinuating focus toward the front row, Peters moved on to "No One Is Alone" from Stephen Sondheim's "Into the Woods," and her delicately inward intensity hushed the house. Thereafter, she could do no wrong.
Visually, Peters has vaulted time with decades to spare -- her physical maneuvers atop musical director Marvin Laird's piano during "Fever" were especially delicious -- and her comic skills are undiminished, as when selling "There Is Nothing Like a Dame" to the men on the aisle. Vocally, the ineluctable timbre remains essentially intact, any loss of belting power or metrical freedom trumped by a near-legit purity in her upper register and a still potent ability to locate a song's emotional content."
From first entrance in a glittering lilac gown that looked as if she'd been poured into it, the diminutive Peters held the capacity crowd in thrall. Launching a jazzy "Let Me Entertain You" with an insinuating focus toward the front row, Peters moved on to "No One Is Alone" from Stephen Sondheim's "Into the Woods," and her delicately inward intensity hushed the house. Thereafter, she could do no wrong.
Visually, Peters has vaulted time with decades to spare -- her physical maneuvers atop musical director Marvin Laird's piano during "Fever" were especially delicious -- and her comic skills are undiminished, as when selling "There Is Nothing Like a Dame" to the men on the aisle. Vocally, the ineluctable timbre remains essentially intact, any loss of belting power or metrical freedom trumped by a near-legit purity in her upper register and a still potent ability to locate a song's emotional content."
- David C. Nichols, Los Angeles Times
Guest host McLean Stevenson interviews Bernadette Peters on 'The Tonight Show'
Guest host Don Rickles climbs toward Bernadette Peters on 'The Tonight Show' soundstage
Steve Martin interviews Bernadette Peters on 'The Tonight Show'
Bernadette Peters with the real Johnny Carson
Harry Chapin on 'The Tonight Show' in 1973
Peters worked with director Arthur Hiller on 'W.C. Fields & Me' (1976) and director Herbert Ross on 'Pennies From Heaven' (1981) but neither film represented their directors' better work. Ross wasn't helped by the studio's decision to have Peters and Jessica Harper lip-sync to old-time songs in his staging of Dennis Potter's musical 'Pennies From Heaven'. Peters fared better with director Robert Aldrich on 'The Longest Yard' (1974), but it was left to two of Roger Corman's gifted young proteges to elevate her film career, with George Armitage offering her a character role in 'Vigilante Force' (1976) and Allan Arkush casting her as robot AquaCom-89045 in 'Heartbeeps' (1981).
Before working on 'Heartbeeps', Peters was cast in the first of Carl Reiner's collaborations with musician and comedian Steve Martin, the absurdist fable, 'The Jerk' (1979). As she gained a solid footing in the film industry, some better roles followed, with Peters appearing in John Huston's popular childrens' musical 'Annie' (1982), James Ivory's art world satire 'Slaves Of New York' (1989), Woody Allen's comic fantasy 'Alice' (1990) and James Lapine's historical biopic 'Impromptu' (1991). Sadly, her big screen image suffered a major setback during this time, when she signed up to appear alongside screen icon Clint Eastwood in his stunt buddy Buddy Van Horn's overblown star vehicle 'Pink Cadillac' (1989).
"Joining the off-Broadway production of Dames at Sea in 1968, Peters performed as Ruby. For this parody of 1930’s musicals, Peters won a Drama Desk Award. The leading roles started coming Bernadette’s way, with Peters appearing in On the Town in 1971. Her role as Hildy gave Peters her first Tony Award nomination. Peters then made the decision to move to Los Angeles to take advantage of the opportunities in film and television work.
At first, the move appeared to be well-timed. Bernadette appeared in The Jerk with a role written for her by Steve Martin, and won a Golden Globe for her role in 1981’s Pennies from Heaven. Getting significant screen time in the 1982 adaptation of Annie, starring Albert Finney and Carol Burnett, Peters then made the surprising move back to New York.
Becoming increasingly frustrated with Hollywood’s expectations of her, Peters wanted to return to Broadway. With her petite frame, curls and unique voice, Peters risked being cast in the same roles. With theatre, she saw a chance for something more.
In 1983, Peters began attending a workshop run by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine. They were working on a new production – Sunday in the Park with George. It was going to be a musical based on the life of artist Georges Seurat. The show, with its daring and sophisticated take on what a musical could be, won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama (at the time, only the sixth musical to do so). Peters received her third Tony Award nomination, with her performance being praised as “radiant” by New York Times critic, Frank Rich.
It is interesting to note how many times the careers of Peters and Sondheim intersect. A lyricist and composer whose early work includes West Side Story and Gypsy, Stephen Sondheim’s musicals have challenged and provoked the theatre-goer. A deliberate step away from the sentimentalised lyrics of mid-century musicals, Sondheim deploys the darker shades available to a songwriter, creating a catalogue of minor notes and big emotion.
Described as one of the best interpreters of his work, Peters not only conquers the Sondheim lyrics, she inhabits them. To successfully read Sondheim requires the ability to find the emotion, whether it’s laid out on the page (Follies) or hidden in the pause between words – the lyric unspoken (Company). It’s a popular misconception that Sondheim’s work is overly intellectualised, but Peters’ interpretation forms a compelling argument for us to consider the musical as complete only during the act of performance itself. The actor is the final piece of the puzzle."
- Helen Tope, The Reviews Hub
At first, the move appeared to be well-timed. Bernadette appeared in The Jerk with a role written for her by Steve Martin, and won a Golden Globe for her role in 1981’s Pennies from Heaven. Getting significant screen time in the 1982 adaptation of Annie, starring Albert Finney and Carol Burnett, Peters then made the surprising move back to New York.
Becoming increasingly frustrated with Hollywood’s expectations of her, Peters wanted to return to Broadway. With her petite frame, curls and unique voice, Peters risked being cast in the same roles. With theatre, she saw a chance for something more.
In 1983, Peters began attending a workshop run by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine. They were working on a new production – Sunday in the Park with George. It was going to be a musical based on the life of artist Georges Seurat. The show, with its daring and sophisticated take on what a musical could be, won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama (at the time, only the sixth musical to do so). Peters received her third Tony Award nomination, with her performance being praised as “radiant” by New York Times critic, Frank Rich.
It is interesting to note how many times the careers of Peters and Sondheim intersect. A lyricist and composer whose early work includes West Side Story and Gypsy, Stephen Sondheim’s musicals have challenged and provoked the theatre-goer. A deliberate step away from the sentimentalised lyrics of mid-century musicals, Sondheim deploys the darker shades available to a songwriter, creating a catalogue of minor notes and big emotion.
Described as one of the best interpreters of his work, Peters not only conquers the Sondheim lyrics, she inhabits them. To successfully read Sondheim requires the ability to find the emotion, whether it’s laid out on the page (Follies) or hidden in the pause between words – the lyric unspoken (Company). It’s a popular misconception that Sondheim’s work is overly intellectualised, but Peters’ interpretation forms a compelling argument for us to consider the musical as complete only during the act of performance itself. The actor is the final piece of the puzzle."
- Helen Tope, The Reviews Hub
"Her Broadway career spans back to 1968’s George M!, but Bernadette Peters has moved beyond her early kewpie-doll appeal to emerge as one of Stephen Sondheim's foremost interpreters. The seemingly ageless actor — she of the angelic soprano that can dip down to adorable, languid growls — had her initial Sondheim success in the ’80s as Dot/Marie in Sunday in the Park with George and the Witch in Into the Woods. In recent years, Peters has returned to his work in revivals of Gypsy (2003), A Little Night Music (2009) and Follies(2011), and she was a revelation each time. Her Rose — one of four in our top five! — was sexy, driven, hard as nails and yet vulnerable underneath; anyone who doubted Peters’s vocal strength or dramatic heft was silenced by her devastating "Rose's Turn."
- David Cote, 'The Best Broadway Divas Of All Time'
- David Cote, 'The Best Broadway Divas Of All Time'
Bernadette Peters & Steve Martin
Bernadette Peters, Steve Martin & casting director Donna DeSeta (Bernadette Peters' sister)
Steve Martin & Bernadette Peters
Carol Burnett, Bernadette Peters & Tony Roberts perform a Stephen Sondheim medley
Peters is the author of three childrens' books : 'Broadway Barks' (2008), 'Stella Is A Star!' (2010) and 'Stella And Charlie, Friends Forever' (2015). She composed some songs for 'Stella Is A Star!' which she's performed in person while visiting children in American schools.
Navy cadet Bernadette Peters
'Gee Whiz' - Bernadette Peters
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From The Archives : Ms. Bernadette Peters
'Self Improvement'
Bernadette Peters in 'Silent Movie'
Bernadette Peters on 'Saturday Night Live'
Blythe Dolls' Performers Series - 'Miss Bernadette Peters'
'The Weekend Of A Private Secretary'
