Through the Years with Bernadette Peters

Bernadette Peters with the Boston Pops (2019)

Peters most recent appearance with the orchestra came in 2019 when she opened the Pops 2019 season. At the time, I wrote: "an iridescent, silver lilac dress that clung to every curve, Peters looks like she hasn't missed a spin class in years; and that unmistakable honey-soaked belt, which has served her well since she first appeared off-Broadway in late 1960s, showed little wear. Her voice, combined with her superb acting skills, made for a remarkable set." In her set, she mixed Broadway standards, such as the opening "There is Nothing Like A Dame" (which she comically bumped-and-grinded through, to songs from "Hello, Dolly!,"which she starred in after Bette Midler and her first replacement, Donna Murphy, left the show. She also put her sultry spin on Peggy Lee's "Fever." The rest of the program were, of course, from Stephen Sondheim, and included an incredibly poignant "In Buddy Eyes," which offered a glimpse of how she played the role of Sally in the 2011 revival; the always pertinent "No One Is Alone," which she didn't get to introduce in "Into the Woods;" a stirring "Being Alive" (from "Company"); and a quietly rendered "Send in the Clowns," again proving that there isn't a better interpreter of his songs than she is.