The Most Happy Fella is a 1956 musical with a book, music, and lyrics by Frank Loesser . The story, about a romance between an older man and younger woman, is based on the 1924 play They Knew What They Wanted by Sidney Howard . The show is described by some theatre historians and critics as operatic. The original Broadway production ran for 14 months and it has enjoyed several revivals, including one staged by the New York City Opera .
116-459: Bernadette Peters ( née Lazzara ; born February 28, 1948) is an American actress and singer. Over a career spanning more than six decades, she has starred in musical theatre, television and film, performed in solo concerts and released recordings. She is a critically acclaimed Broadway performer, having received seven nominations for Tony Awards , winning two (plus an honorary award), and nine Drama Desk Award nominations, winning three. Four of
232-426: A Golden Globe Award . She has also been nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards and four Grammy Awards Birth name A birth name is the name given to a person upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname , the given name , or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth register may by that fact alone become
348-618: A Hallmark Hall of Fame production, in December 1958, with fellow child actor Richard Thomas and veteran actors Jessica Tandy and Margaret Hamilton . She first appeared on the New York stage at age 10 as Tessie in the New York City Center revival of The Most Happy Fella (1959). In her teen years, she attended Quintano's School for Young Professionals, a now-defunct private school. At age 13, Peters appeared as one of
464-577: A man's surname at birth that has subsequently been replaced or changed. The diacritic mark (the acute accent ) over the e is considered significant to its spelling, and ultimately its meaning, but is sometimes omitted. According to Oxford University 's Dictionary of Modern English Usage , the terms are typically placed after the current surname (e.g., " Margaret Thatcher , née Roberts" or " Bill Clinton , né Blythe"). Since they are terms adopted into English (from French), they do not have to be italicized , but they often are. In Polish tradition ,
580-478: A "complete" studio recording (CDJAY2 1306), including material that had been cut, on July 11, 2000. The recording featured Louis Quilico as Tony. John Sterling , radio announcer for the New York Yankees , refers to this musical in his "home run call" whenever Yankees third baseman Gio Urshela hits a home run. As Urshela circles the bases, Sterling says "Gio Urshela... a most happy fella!" In 1957 on
696-415: A "fresh musical (perhaps opera)". Music Theatre International describes the show: "Filled with sweeping ballads, intense dramatic arias and tuneful, splashy Broadway-style numbers, this ambitious "Broadway opera" has found a home on opera and musical-theatre stages alike." A film version was planned in 1962, to be produced by Warner Bros. with Shirley Jones and Fred Astaire set to star. However, Jones
812-525: A 34.6 rating, a 57% share, with an estimated audience of 56.5 million viewers. A friend of Frank Loesser 's recommended the Howard play They Knew What They Wanted as material for a musical in 1952. After he read it, Loesser agreed it had musical potential, but decided to omit the political, labor, and religious material. It took him four years to complete the musical. The Most Happy Fella frequently has been described as an opera , but some have qualified
928-529: A Broadway revival began previews at the Booth Theatre on January 24, 1992, officially opened on February 13, and closed on August 30 after 229 performances. Again directed by Gerald Gutierrez, the cast included Spiro Malas as Tony, Sophie Hayden as Rosabella, Charles Pistone as Joe, Claudia Catania as Marie, Liz Larsen as Cleo, and Scott Waara as Herman. The Ravinia Festival in Chicago presented
1044-509: A Chair: A New York Love Affair at New York City Center in 2013. This collaboration between Encores! and Jazz at Lincoln Center was directed by John Doyle , with jazzy arrangements of Sondheim's songs. Peters sang "Broadway Baby", "The Ladies Who Lunch", "Isn't He Something?", "I Remember" and "With So Little to Be Sure Of", among others. Jesse Green, in his review in New York Magazine ' s Vulture site, commented: "[W]hat
1160-641: A Musical . Frank Rich wrote in an otherwise negative review of the show that Peters "has no peer in the musical theater right now." She then created the role of the Witch in Sondheim-Lapine's Into the Woods (1987). Peters is "considered by many to be the premier interpreter of [Sondheim's] work," according to writer Alex Witchel. Raymond Knapp wrote that Peters "achieved her definitive stardom" in Sunday in
1276-458: A Musical for her performance as Annie Oakley in the 1999 Broadway revival of Annie Get Your Gun . Among many glowing notices, critic Lloyd Rose of The Washington Post commented: "[Peters] banishes all thoughts of Ethel Merman about two bars into her first number, 'Doin' What Comes Natur'lly.' Partly this is because Merman's Annie was a hearty, boisterous gal, while Peters' plays an adorable, slightly goofy gamine. ... For anyone who cares about
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#17327940067631392-421: A Vargas girl!'" She kept the original painting. The original title planned for the album was Decades . Rolling Stone wrote of her debut album: Peters debuts on record as a first-rate pop torch singer: Melissa Manchester with soul, Bette Midler on pitch. Her album has already spawned the hit single "Gee Whiz," a laid-back, doo-wop version ... that makes Peters' piping, little-girl voice seem almost like
1508-493: A beautiful young woman like Rosabella, and he accepts that she is probably right. At that moment Joe, the young, handsome and nomadic farm foreman, arrives to tell Tony that he plans to leave town and travel somewhere else ("Joey, Joey, Joey"). Tony sees his opportunity and asks Joe for a photograph as a memento, then sends it as his own to his beloved ("Rosabella"). Several weeks later, Rosabella has agreed to come to Napa and marry Tony ("Abbondanza"), but as he prepares to leave for
1624-669: A benefit for both Broadway Barks and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The concert raised an estimated $ 615,000 for the two charities. Also in support of Broadway Barks, Peters has appeared on the daytime talk show Live With Regis and Kelly . In 2018, Peters received the Brooke Astor Award from the Animal Medical Center for her lifelong commitment to animal welfare, including the "over 2,000 adoptions" to date at Broadway Barks events. In 2022, Broadway Barks held in its first in-person animal adoption event since
1740-432: A child rather than a wife ("I Love Him/I Know How it Is"). Tony, overjoyed by Rosabella's expression of love ("Like a Woman Loves a Man"), discards his cane ("My Heart Is So Full of You"). Later Rosabella collapses at a party ("Hoedown"), and the doctor tells her she is pregnant (with Joe's child). She is upset by this news, and Cleo rushes her away before she can tell the still-overjoyed Tony ("Mamma, Mamma"). In Tony's barn
1856-602: A concert series, "Bernadette Peters in Concert". In April 2014, she gave concert performances in Australia. The reviewer for The Sydney Morning Herald wrote: "Perhaps it is a matter of personality as much as voice: a natural warmth and an instinct for never exaggerating the emotional content of a song. Whatever the case, it is easy to see and hear why, for 30 years, Bernadette Peters has probably been musical theatre's finest performer. ... She even breathed new life into 'Send In
1972-507: A concert version with George Hearn as Tony and Rod Gilfry as Joe on July 20, 2007. The New York City Opera presented a limited engagement with Paul Sorvino as Tony and Lisa Vroman as Rosabella between March 7–25, 2006. In February 2013, Tulsa Opera presented a production directed by Dorothy Danner and conducted by Kostis Protopapas, featuring Chaim Joseph as Tony, Latrine Thurman as Rosabella, and Christopher Foeum as Joe. In April 2014, New York City Center Encores! presented
2088-473: A cutesy novelty. There are also a couple of Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil rock tunes in which she sounds slightly trashy and out of her depth. The Peter Allen songs on side two are really more her style. In fact, the whole second half of Bernadette Peters is just about perfect, from the star's semi-C&W rendition of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller 's "Pearl's a Singer" to a wistful recap of Harry Warren and Mark Gordon's romantic "You'll Never Know." But
2204-785: A full orchestra, using a Loesser-approved piano arrangement by Robert Page. The production was then staged by the Center Theatre Group at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles for ten weeks starting in October 1991. In exchange for mounting the show, the Center Theatre Group shared in potential Broadway profits. Based on the Goodspeed production, with most of the cast and creative team intact,
2320-541: A giant soap bubble floating toward heaven. A belief in the power of the dreams behind Rodgers and Hammerstein 's songs, if not in their reality, was possible." Peters made her solo concert debut at Lincoln Center in New York City in 2006. Holden, reviewing this concert, noted, "Even while swiveling across the stage of Avery Fisher Hall like a voluptuous Botticelli Venus in Bob Mackie spangles... she radiated
2436-401: A half. Her father, Peter Lazzara, drove a bread delivery truck. Her siblings are casting director Donna DeSeta and Joseph Lazzara. She appeared on the television shows Name That Tune and several times on The Horn and Hardart Children's Hour as a small child. In January 1958, at age nine, she obtained her Actors Equity Card in the name Bernadette Peters to avoid ethnic typecasting, with
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#17327940067632552-538: A major Broadway star." The Mack and Mabel cast album became popular among musical theatre fans. She moved to Los Angeles in the early 1970s to concentrate on television and film work. Peters has appeared in more than 40 feature films or television films beginning in 1973, including the 1976 Mel Brooks film Silent Movie for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture . She co-starred in her own television series, All's Fair , with Richard Crenna in 1976–77. She played
2668-526: A more rewarding reading experience. The story and disc end with a sneakily affecting self-esteem anthem, which, like the familiar tale itself, is buoyed by the author's lovely vocals." Peters introduced the book at a reading and signing where she also sang part of the song, at the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, Los Angeles, California, on April 24, 2010. The third book, released in 2015, titled Stella and Charlie Friends Forever ,
2784-508: A preternatural innocence.... For the eternal child in all of us, she evokes a surrogate childhood playmate". Peters was the headliner at the 2009 Adelaide Cabaret Festival in Adelaide , Australia. The Sunday Mail wrote that Peters showed "the verve, vigour and voice of someone half her age." Peters's concert performances often benefit arts organizations or help them to mark special occasions, such as her performance on an overnight cruise on
2900-555: A response that spans the emotional scale." Of her "Rose's Turn", Gans wrote: "...her rendition of this song may be the highlight of a career already filled with many highlights: She has taken a song that has been delivered incredibly by others and brought it to a new level." Of her performance on the recording of Follies (2011), Steven Suskin wrote in Playbill.com : "This is a fine Sally, the sort of Sally you'd expect to get from an actress like – well, Bernadette Peters. The performance on
3016-607: A rich American who becomes involved with an Italian family that owns a vineyard. The DVD was released in 2007 in Italy. In 2006, she participated in a reading of the Sondheim-Weidman musical Bounce . In 2007, she participated in a charity reading of the play Love Letters , with actor John Dossett . Peters appeared in the Lifetime television film Living Proof , which was first broadcast on October 18, 2008. She played
3132-573: A row nominated for a Grammy Award. It formed the basis of her Radio City Music Hall solo concert debut in June 2002. Her last solo album, titled Sondheim Etc., Etc. Live At Carnegie Hall: The Rest of It , was released in 2005. It consists of all of the songs (and patter) from her 1996 Carnegie Hall concert that were not included in the earlier recording. Additionally, Peters has recorded songs on other albums, such as "Dublin Lady" on John Whelan's Flirting with
3248-425: A short time later, Cleo hints to Herman that she may be leaving ("Goodbye, Darlin'") but he remains unbelievingly cheerful, to her frustration. As the preparations for the wedding party are taking place, the doctor asks the community to leave the couple alone for a little while ("Song of a Summer Night"). Rosabella tells Tony she is pregnant ("Please Let Me Tell You"). Tony rejects her in a rage when she reveals that Joe
3364-482: A touching romantic fable about love and its defenses and the loss of innocence. ... Miss Peters has always oozed a cuddlesome Shirley Temple -like sweetness and vulnerability. This quality, which used to seem more like an adorable child-star affectation than a deep-seated trait, has proved to be an essential ingredient of Miss Peters's personality. A delivery that once seemed coy and cutesy has deepened and ripened into an honesty and compassion that pour out in singing that
3480-455: A truck accident en route to the bus station, and he pleads with Rosabella to stay and marry him immediately in case he does not live. She relents ("No Home, No Job") and they marry. Joe, who now must stay to run the ranch during Tony's convalescence, is upset but tries to comfort her ("Don't Cry"), and in a moment of mutual weakness they embrace. A week later ("Fresno Beauties"), Joe and Rosabella regret their indiscretion ("Cold and Dead"), and at
3596-521: A web video series by Amazon Studios based on Blair Tindall 's memoir of the same name. The show was picked up for a second and third season. She was a guest star in the 2014 Bravo television series Girlfriends' Guide to Divorce in the episode "Rule #21: Leave Childishness to Children". Peters played the recurring role of Lenore Rindell, a financial scammer, in the CBS television series The Good Fight , in 2017 and 2018. In 2020, she played Ms. Freesia in
Bernadette Peters - Misplaced Pages Continue
3712-400: A well-received production directed by Casey Nicholaw and starring Shuler Hensley , Laura Benanti , Cheyenne Jackson , Heidi Blickenstaff , Jay Armstrong Johnson & Jessica Molaskey . The original Broadway cast recording was produced by Goddard Lieberson for Columbia Records . The recording featured virtually the entire show, including all but a few lines of the dialogue, which
3828-578: A wrenching (and funny) actress Peters remains, not on top of her voice but through it." Brantley, in The New York Times wrote: "As a singer and actress, she just can't help being ardent, full-throated and sincere. She also reminds us here of her considerable and original comic gifts." From 2014 to 2018, Peters played Gloria Windsor, the chairwoman of the orchestra board in Mozart in the Jungle ,
3944-551: A young, liberal photographer, who becomes romantically involved with an older, conservative columnist. Although Peters was praised for her charismatic performance, the show ran for only one season. Peters was nominated for a Golden Globe award as Best TV Actress – Musical/Comedy. Peters starred opposite Steve Martin in The Jerk (1979) in a role that he wrote for her, and again in Pennies from Heaven (1981), for which she won
4060-419: Is about a scrappy dog, named after her dog Kramer, and the pleasure of adopting a pet. Titled Broadway Barks , the book is published by Blue Apple Books (2008). Peters wrote the words and music to a lullaby, titled "Kramer's Song", which is included on a CD in the book. The book reached #5 on The New York Times Children's Best Sellers: Picture Books list for the week of June 8, 2008. Her second children's book
4176-556: Is about her rescue dog Charlie joining her household, and how Charlie got along with her older dog, Stella. In 1999, Peters and Mary Tyler Moore co-founded Broadway Barks , an annual animal adopt-a-thon. Each July, Peters hosts the Broadway Barks event in New York City. Peters held a concert, "A Special Concert for Broadway Barks Because Broadway Cares", at the Minskoff Theatre , New York City, on November 9, 2009, as
4292-409: Is childlike but also resilient. In 2003, Andrew Gans wrote in Playbill.com of Peters's recording sessions for Gypsy : "What is it about her voice that is so moving? Part womanly and part girlish, it is a powerful instrument, not only in volume (though that is impressive) but in the wealth of emotion it is able to convey. ... her voice – that mix of husky, sweet, rounded, vibrato-filled tones – induces
4408-600: Is especially fine as she confronts a life spinning out of control. I'd make her an early contender for a guest-actor Emmy nomination." In January, February and May 2009, she appeared in the ABC series Ugly Betty in five episodes as Jodie Papadakis, a magazine mogul running the YETI (Young Editors Training Initiative) program that Betty and Marc are in. Her appearance at the Adelaide Cabaret Festival in June 2009
4524-577: Is the father. She and Cleo leave to return to San Francisco, but when Tony learns that Joe is leaving as well, he concludes that they are leaving together and rushes to the bus station with a gun to confront them. When he discovers that Joe has already left ("Tell Tony and Rosabella Goodbye for Me"), however, he resolves to forgive her ("She Gonna Come Home Wit' Me"). Marie begs her brother to let her go ("Nobody's Ever Gonna Love You") and snatches away his cane to prevent him from leaving, but Cleo attacks her and grabs it back. Brutish farmhand Pasquale intervenes in
4640-416: Is the feminine past participle of naître , which means "to be born". Né is the masculine form. The term née , having feminine grammatical gender , can be used to denote a woman's surname at birth that has been replaced or changed. In most English-speaking cultures, it is specifically applied to a woman's maiden name after her surname has changed due to marriage. The term né can be used to denote
4756-487: Is the story of a pit bull , named after Peters's dog Stella. The character would rather be a pig ballerina, but she learns to accept herself. Titled Stella is a Star , the book includes a CD with an original song written and performed by Peters and was released in April 2010 by Blue Apple Books. According to Publishers Weekly , "Turning the pages to Peters' spirited narration, which is provided in an accompanying CD, makes for
Bernadette Peters - Misplaced Pages Continue
4872-568: The Academy Awards broadcasts in 1976, 1981, 1983, 1987 and 1994. Peters has been a presenter at the annual Tony Awards ceremony and also co-hosted the ceremony with Gregory Hines in 2002. She also hosted Saturday Night Live in November 1981. Peters has appeared on many TV variety shows, with stars such as Sonny and Cher and George Burns . She made 11 guest appearances on The Carol Burnett Show as well as appearing with Burnett in
4988-502: The Broadway Theatre on October 21, 1957 and closed on December 14, 1957 after 676 performances. The cast included Robert Weede as Tony, Jo Sullivan as Rosabella, Art Lund as Joey, Susan Johnson as Cleo, Shorty Long – the country and not the soul singer – as Herman and Mona Paulee as Marie. The future dancer and actress Zina Bethune appeared as Tessie, one of the children in the ensemble. The scenic and lighting design
5104-533: The COVID-19 pandemic began, with many Broadway stars in attendance and many shelter organizations participating. Activists protesting against the Humane Society of New York, one of the shelter organizations represented at the event, briefly interrupted Peters's speech there. Peters serves on the board of trustees of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and participates in that organization's events, such as
5220-592: The Drama Desk Award nine times, winning three times, for Annie Get Your Gun , Song and Dance and Dames at Sea . For her role in the Fox series Ally McBeal (2001), Peters received a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series . Peters was also nominated for a 2003 Daytime Emmy Award, Outstanding Performer in a Children's Special, for her work in
5336-771: The Gay Men's Health Crisis . In 2007, Peters helped the Broadway community celebrate the end of the stagehand strike in a "Broadway's Back" concert at the Marquis Theatre . In 2008, she was one of the participants in a fund-raiser for the Westport Country Playhouse , and in the opening ceremony and dedication of the renovated TKTS discount ticket booth in Times Square . That year, she also presented New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg with
5452-482: The Grammy Award . Peters's 1980 single " Gee Whiz ", remaking Carla Thomas' 1960 Memphis soul hit, reached the top forty on the U.S. Billboard pop singles charts. She has recorded most of the Broadway and off-Broadway musicals she has appeared in, and four of these cast albums have won Grammy Awards. Peters's debut album in 1980 (an LP ), titled Bernadette Peters contained 10 songs, including " If You Were
5568-701: The James Ivory film Slaves of New York and in the Buddy Van Horn action comedy film Pink Cadillac (1989) alongside Clint Eastwood . In 1990 she appeared in Woody Allen 's Alice (1990). The following year she acted as Marie D'Agoult in the James Lapine directed period drama film Impromptu (1991). Peters starred alongside Hugh Grant , Judy Davis , Emma Thompson , Mandy Patinkin , and Julian Sands . In 1997 she voiced Sophie in
5684-617: The Kirk Douglas family in the 2003 film It Runs in the Family , in which she played the wife of Michael Douglas 's character. That same year she acted in Prince Charming (2003). Also in 2003, Peters starred as Rose in the Broadway revival of Gypsy , earning another Tony nomination. Ben Brantley in The New York Times wrote, "Working against type and expectation under the direction of Sam Mendes , Ms. Peters has created
5800-671: The London Coliseum on April 21, 1960, and ran for 288 performances. The cast included Inia Te Wiata as Tony, Helena Scott as Rosabella, Art Lund as Joey, Libi Staiger as Cleo, Jack De Leon as Herman, and Nina Verushka as Marie. Inia Te Wiata also starred in the Australian production, which played the Princess Theatre, Melbourne and the Palace Theatre, Sydney in 1961. A Broadway revival began previews at
5916-1126: The Majestic Theatre on September 20, 1979, officially opened on October 11, and closed on November 25, 1979, after 53 performances and 23 previews. Directed by Jack O'Brien , set design by Douglas W. Schmidt, costumes by Nancy Potts, lighting by Gilbert Vaughn Hemsley Jr. , orchestrations by Don Walker , and choreographed by Graciela Daniele , it starred Giorgio Tozzi as Tony, Frederick Burchinal as Tony (Wed. and Sat. matinees), Sharon Daniels as Rosabella, Linda Michelle as Rosabella (Wed. and Sat. matinees), Adrienne Leonetti as Marie, Steven Alex-Cole as Max, Dennis Warning as Herman, Dean Badolato as Clem, David Miles as Jake, Kevin Wilson as Al, Stephen Dubov as Sheriff, Gene Varrone as Giuseppe, Darren Nimnicht as Pasquale, Tim Flavin as Busboy, Dan O'Sullivan as Postman, Franco Spoto as Ciccio, Joe McGrath as Doctor, Lawrence Asher as Priest, Michael Capes as Bus Driver, Bill Hastings as Cashier/brakeman, Louisa Flaningam as Cleo, and Richard Muenz as Joe. The production
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#17327940067636032-495: The Marquis Theatre , later in 2011, and received a nomination for the Drama Desk Award, Outstanding Actress in a Musical. At the 66th Tony Awards in 2012, Peters was presented with the honorary Isabelle Stevenson Award for "making a substantial contribution of volunteered time and effort on behalf of one or more humanitarian, social service or charitable organizations, regardless of whether such organizations relate to
6148-595: The Millbrook , New York home of long-time friend Mary Tyler Moore . Wittenberg died at age 43 on September 26, 2005, in a helicopter crash in Montenegro while on a business trip. Peters has a mixed-breed dog named Charlie. She has adopted all of her dogs from shelters. Peters' accolades include two Tony Awards , as well as the Isabelle Stevenson Award in 2012, three Drama Desk Awards , and
6264-849: The Seabourn Odyssey in a benefit for the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami in 2009. She was one of the performers to help celebrate the center's grand opening in 2006. She headlined The Alliance of The Arts Black Tie Anniversary Gala at Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza in Thousand Oaks, California , on November 21, 2009. She had helped to celebrate the opening of the Arts Plaza with concerts fifteen years earlier. In 2015, Peters performed in
6380-735: The Sondheim Theatre , London. Peters sings four songs on the CD accompanying a 2005 children's picture book Dewey Doo-it Helps Owlie Fly Again , the proceeds of which benefit the Christopher Reeve Foundation . Her co-star from Sunday in the Park with George , Mandy Patinkin , also sings on the CD. To support Broadway Barks , the animal adoption charity that she co-founded with Mary Tyler Moore, Peters has written three children's books, illustrated by Liz Murphy. The first
6496-583: The Stephen Sondheim – James Lapine musical Sunday in the Park with George in 1984, for which she received her third Tony Award nomination. The New York Times theatre critic Frank Rich called her performance "radiant". She recorded the role for PBS in 1986, winning a 1987 ACE Award . Her next role was Emma in Andrew Lloyd Webber 's Song and Dance on Broadway in 1985, winning her first Tony Award for Best Leading Actress in
6612-561: The Theatre World Award . Peters's performance as "Ruby" in the 1968 Off-Broadway production of Dames at Sea , a parody of 1930s musicals, brought her critical acclaim and her first Drama Desk Award . She had appeared in an earlier 1966 version of Dames at Sea at the Off-Off-Broadway performance club Caffe Cino . Peters had starring roles in her next Broadway vehicles—Gelsomina in the 1969 musical version of
6728-730: The "Hollywood Blondes" and was an understudy for "Dainty June" in the second national tour of Gypsy . During this tour, Peters first met her long-time accompanist, conductor and arranger Marvin Laird, who was the assistant conductor for the tour. Laird recalled, "I heard her sing an odd phrase or two and thought, 'God that's a big voice out of that little girl'". The next summer, she played Dainty June in summer stock, and in 1962 she recorded her first single. In 1964, she played Liesl in The Sound of Music and Jenny in Riverwind in summer stock at
6844-507: The 1972 made-for-television version of Once Upon a Mattress and the 1982 film Annie . In 1982, Peters returned to the New York stage after an eight-year absence, in one of her few non-musical stage appearances, the Off-Broadway Manhattan Theatre Club production of the comedy-drama Sally and Marsha , for which she was nominated for a Drama Desk Award . She then returned to Broadway as Dot/Marie in
6960-551: The 2002 television film Bobbie's Girl . She also performed at the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony for Burnett in 2003. Peters appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and on the day-time talk show Live with Regis and Kelly , both as a co-host and a guest. She appeared on Inside the Actors Studio in November 2000, discussing her career and craft. Peters appeared with three generations of
7076-537: The American musical theater, the chance to see Peters in this role is reason enough to see the show." Playbill went even further: "Arguably the most talented comedienne in the musical theatre today, Peters manages to extract a laugh from most every line she delivers." Peters has been nominated for the Tony Award seven times, winning twice, and has also received an honorary Tony Award. She has also been nominated for
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#17327940067637192-736: The Broadway cast albums on which she has starred have won Grammy Awards . Regarded by many as the foremost interpreter of the works of Stephen Sondheim , Peters is particularly noted for her roles on the Broadway stage, including in the musicals Mack and Mabel (1974), Sunday in the Park with George (1984), Song and Dance (1985), Into the Woods (1987), The Goodbye Girl (1993), Annie Get Your Gun (1999), Gypsy (2003), A Little Night Music (2010), Follies (2011), and Hello, Dolly! (2018). She has recorded six solo albums as well as many cast albums, and performs regularly in her own solo concert act. Peters first performed on
7308-537: The CD is compelling; either this is simply the magic of the recording studio or Peters has changed what she does and how she does it." Peters has been performing her solo concert in the United States and Canada for many years. She made her solo concert debut at Carnegie Hall in New York City in 1996, devoting the second half to the work of Stephen Sondheim. She performed a similar concert in London in 1999, which
7424-424: The Clowns'. ... Rather than make it emotionally swollen (as so many do), Peters contracted it, delicately squeezing out its essence like toothpaste from a near-empty tube." She gave concerts in June 2016 in the UK at the Royal Festival Hall , Manchester Opera House and Edinburgh Playhouse . In 2022, she participated in Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends , a Cameron Mackintosh -produced tribute concert, May 3, 2022, at
7540-417: The Clowns," with an emotional transparency and musical delicacy that turns this celebrated song into an occasion of transporting artistry. I'm not sure I've ever experienced with such palpable force – or such prominent goose bumps – the sense of being present at an indelible moment in the history of musical theater. Peters's next stage appearance was in the role of Sally Durant Plummer in the Kennedy Center for
7656-403: The Days"). Marie tries to convince Tony that the age difference between him and Rosabella is too great ("Young People"), and he believes her even though Rosabella herself indicates otherwise ("Warm All Over"). Cleo and Herman also grow closer, though she is frustrated by his passive, compliant nature ("I Like Everybody"). She urges Rosabella to tell Tony of her feelings, as Tony is treating her like
7772-471: The Edge (Narada, 1998). On the Mandy Patinkin Dress Casual 1990 album, Patinkin and Peters recorded the songs from Stephen Sondheim's 1966 television play, Evening Primrose . On the tribute album Born to the Breed: A Tribute to Judy Collins Peters sings "Trust Your Heart". In The New York Times review of the 1986 Broadway cast recording of Song and Dance (titled Bernadette Peters in Andrew Lloyd Webber's 'Song & Dance' ), Stephen Holden opined
7888-414: The Golden Globe Award as Best Motion Picture Actress in a Comedy or Musical. In Pennies from Heaven , she played Eileen Everson, a schoolteacher turned prostitute. Of her performance in Pennies from Heaven , John DiLeo wrote that she "is not only poignant as you'd expect but has a surprising inner strength." Pauline Kael wrote in The New Yorker : "Peters is mysteriously right in every nuance." Peters
8004-433: The Humanitarian Award at the Breast Cancer Research Foundation awards. On March 8, 2009, she helped celebrate the last birthday of Senator Ted Kennedy (singing "There Is Nothin' Like a Dame") in a private concert and ceremony held at the Kennedy Center, hosted by Bill Cosby , with many senators, representatives, and President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama in attendance. On November 19, 2009, she helped to celebrate
8120-446: The Italian film of the same name, La Strada (for which she won good reviews but the show closed after one performance) and Hildy in a revival of On the Town (1971), for which she received her first Tony Award nomination. She played Mabel Normand in Mack and Mabel (1974), receiving another Tony nomination. Clive Barnes wrote: "With the splashy Mack & Mabel ... diminutive and contralto Bernadette Peters found herself as
8236-418: The Jungle (2014–2018), The Good Fight (2017–2018), Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (2020–2021) and High Desert (2023). Peters was born into an Italian-American family in Ozone Park in the New York City borough of Queens , the youngest of three children. Her mother, Marguerite (née Maltese), started her in show business by putting her on the television show Juvenile Jury at the age of three and
8352-509: The LP...the unusual absence of airbrushing echo places heavy demands on the chanteuse's sultry soprano. That Bernadette Peters rises to the occasion makes her performance that much more impressive. Her next solo album, Now Playing (1981), featured songs by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Carole Bayer Sager and Marvin Hamlisch , and Stephen Sondheim (for example, "Broadway Baby"). Bernadette Peters
8468-865: The Mt. Gretna Playhouse ( Pennsylvania ), and Riverwind again at the Bucks County Playhouse in 1966. Upon graduation from high school, she started working steadily, appearing Off-Broadway in the musicals The Penny Friend (1966) and Curley McDimple (1967) and as a standby on Broadway in The Girl in the Freudian Slip (1967). She made her Broadway debut in Johnny No-Trump in 1967, and next appeared as George M. Cohan 's sister Josie opposite Joel Grey in George M! (1968), winning
8584-583: The Only Boy ", " Gee Whiz " (a Top 40 hit single), "Heartquake", " Should've Never Let Him Go ", "Chico's Girl", "Pearl's a Singer", "Other Lady", "Only Wounded", "I Never Thought I'd Break" and "You'll Never Know". The original cover painting by Alberto Vargas was one of his last works, created at the age of 84. According to The New York Daily News , Peters "persuaded him to do one last 'Vargas Girls' portrait... She just went to his California retreat, asked him to do one more, he looked at her and said, 'You ARE
8700-496: The Park With George and Into the Woods . Sondheim has said of Peters, "Like very few others, she sings and acts at the same time," he says. "Most performers act and then sing, act and then sing ... Bernadette is flawless as far as I'm concerned. I can't think of anything negative." She won the 1987 " CableACE Award " for her role as Dot in the television version of Sunday in the Park with George . In 1989 she starred in
8816-465: The Performing Arts production of the Sondheim–Goldman musical Follies in 2011. One critic wrote: "Peters ... exquisitely captures the character's unfathomable sadness and longing. It's a star turn, for sure, but one that brings attention to itself because of its truthfulness. Not surprisingly, her rendition of 'Losing My Mind' is simply shattering." She reprised the role in the Broadway revival at
8932-597: The Roundabout Theatre's Sondheim gala for his 75th birthday. In 2012, Peters became a Patron of The Stephen Sondheim Society. She performed at the Olivier Awards ceremony in 2014, singing the song " Losing My Mind ". A review in The Arts Desk read: "The tradition of bringing over a Broadway baby or two ... presumably explained a late appearance by a still-luminous Bernadette Peters, who reached
9048-597: The Shubert Theatre to good reviews. The show then moved to Philadelphia for a try-out at the Shubert Theatre , opening on Tuesday, April 10, 1956, also to good notices. Directed by Joseph Anthony and choreographed by Dania Krupska , the original Broadway production was produced by Kermit Bloomgarden and Lynn Loesser and opened on May 3, 1956 at the Imperial Theatre , transferred to
9164-460: The animated musical film Anastasia (1997). Peters has also appeared in such television films as The Last Best Year (1990), Cinderella (1997; receiving a nomination for the " Golden Satellite Award " for her role), and as Circe in the 1997 miniseries The Odyssey (2001). Peters voiced Rita the stray cat in the " Rita and Runt " segments of the animated series Animaniacs in the 1990s. Peters, as Rita, sang both original songs written for
9280-616: The annual Broadway Flea Market and Grand Auction, and the "Gypsy of the Year" competition. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of Standing Tall, a non-profit educational program offering an innovative program for children with multiple disabilities, based in New York City. Her late husband was the Director and Treasurer of Standing Tall. The 1995 benefit concert Anyone Can Whistle and Peters's "Carnegie Hall" 1996 concert were benefits for
9396-400: The best cuts are in between. "Other Lady," written by Lesley Gore (!) with Ellen Weston , tackles an age-old problem with... devastating eloquence... and Peters delivers it with the proper brooding introspection. Allen's compositions, "Only Wounded" (co-written with Carole Bayer Sager ) and the torchy "I Never Thought I'd Break" (co-written with Dean Pitchford ), feature the finest singing on
9512-544: The best in all of us." She starred in a 2012 film titled Coming Up Roses , playing a former musical comedy actress with two daughters. Peters first appeared in the NBC series Smash in the March 2012 episode " The Workshop ", as Leigh Conroy, Ivy's mother, a retired Broadway star, who feels competitive because of her daughter's blossoming career. She visits the workshop and sings Everything's Coming Up Roses (from Gypsy ) at
9628-433: The bus station to collect her, imagining their future together ("Plenty Bambini"), he discovers to his horror that Joe has remained in town longer than planned to attend the wedding ("Spozalizio"). Rosabella arrives at the farm with the postman ("Special Delivery," "Benvenuta") and meets Joe ("Aren't You Glad?"), only to discover that he is not Tony. Upset at the subterfuge, she starts to leave. However, Tony has been injured in
9744-425: The cashier's advances ("I Know How It Is"). As they clean up ("Seven Million Crumbs"), Cleo's friend finds a jeweled tie pin and a note addressed to the friend as "Rosabella", written in odd broken English ("I Don't Know (The Letter)"). She decides to answer, thinking of the possibilities ("Somebody, Somewhere"). In Napa , the mailman has a letter for Tony Esposito, who has been enjoying a "mail order love affair" for
9860-642: The concert Sinatra: Voice for a Century at Lincoln Center, a fundraiser for the new David Geffen Hall in celebration of Frank Sinatra 's 100th birthday. She sang "It Never Entered My Mind". It was hosted by Seth MacFarlane and featured the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Sting , Billy Porter , Sutton Foster and Fantasia Barrino . PBS plans to broadcast it as part of its " Live from Lincoln Center " series in December 2015. Since 2013, she has been touring intermittently with her cabaret act, An Evening with Bernadette Peters , and
9976-544: The encouragement of Tony's doctor ("Love and Kindness"), the newlywed couple makes a fresh start ("Happy to Make Your Acquaintance"). Cleo arrives in Napa, revealing that Tony has sent for her and offered her a job to keep Rosabella company, and she immediately takes a dislike to Marie ("I Don't Like This Dame") but hits it off with fellow Texan Herman ("Big D"). As time passes, Tony and Rosabella grow closer, Marie feels increasingly lonely, and Joe longs to travel again ("How Beautiful
10092-650: The human race in 'Before the Parade Passes By'." Peters played her final performance as Dolly on July 15, 2018. She next played Deb in Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (2020–2021) and the television film Zoey's Extraordinary Christmas (2021) and was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in the role. Beginning in 2023, Peters plays the recurring role of Roslyn in the Apple TV+ comedy series High Desert . Peters made her West End debut alongside Lea Salonga in
10208-477: The most complex and compelling portrait of her long career, and she has done this in ways that deviate radically from the Merman blueprint." In March 2005, she made a pilot for an ABC situation comedy series titled Adopted , co-starring with Christine Baranski , but it was not picked up. In May 2006, she appeared in the film Come le formiche ( Wine and Kisses ) with F. Murray Abraham , filmed in Italy, playing
10324-608: The opening of The David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center . On February 8, 2010, Peters was one of the many to honor Angela Lansbury at the annual Drama League of New York benefit, singing "Not While I'm Around". In March 2010, Peters helped Stephen Sondheim celebrate his 80th birthday in the Roundabout Theatre Company "Sondheim 80" benefit. She was one of the Honorary Chairs. She had been part of
10440-451: The original Broadway production, Loesser wrote, "What was left seemed to me to be a very warm simple love story, happy ending and all, and dying to be sung and danced." Brooks Atkinson , theatre critic ( The New York Times ), called it a "music drama", noting Loesser "has now come about as close to opera as the rules of Broadway permit." Composer, conductor, and musical theatre teacher Lehman Engel and critic/author Howard Kissel called it
10556-479: The past four months. Tony, a large and hearty older Italian immigrant and a successful grape farmer, happily shows the crowd the picture of his "girlfriend" ("The Most Happy Fella"). Meek farmhand Herman expresses admiration of his boss's initiative in pursuing Rosabella (" Standing on the Corner "). But as Tony prepares to send his own picture in return, his sister Marie points out that he is too old and unattractive for
10672-560: The person's legal name . The assumption in the Western world is often that the name from birth (or perhaps from baptism or brit milah ) will persist to adulthood in the normal course of affairs—either throughout life or until marriage. Some reasons for changes of a person's name include middle names , diminutive forms, changes relating to parental status (due to one's parents' divorce or adoption by different parents), and gender transition . The French and English-adopted née
10788-427: The recording was: [A] personal triumph for a singer and actress who is rapidly establishing herself as the first lady of the Broadway musical. Performing material whose music borders on kitsch and whose lyrics and story suggest a verbose soap opera, Miss Peters nevertheless projects an astounding emotional generosity and conviction. Almost singlehandedly she turns the inconsequential erotic misadventures of Emma ... into
10904-442: The role of Barbara, an art teacher with breast cancer, who is initially reluctant to participate in the study for the cancer drug Herceptin . Andrew Gans of Playbill wrote, "Peters is able to choose from an expansive emotional palette to color the character, and her performance... is moving, humorous and ultimately spirit-raising". Peters's television work also includes guest appearances on several television series. She appeared as
11020-566: The series Katy Keene . She returned to Broadway in the title role of the 2017 revival of Hello, Dolly! at the Shubert Theatre . Succeeding Bette Midler , Peters began performances on January 20, 2018. Marilyn Stasio wrote in Variety : "This Dolly's personal style is to twinkle and charm people into getting her way. (Her 'So Long, Dearie' is an irresistible gem.) She also has the acting chops to moisten eyeballs when she entreats her late husband to bless her renouncement of widowhood and rejoin
11136-607: The sharp-tongued sister of Karen Walker ( Megan Mullally ) on the penultimate episode of the NBC series Will & Grace , " Whatever Happened to Baby Gin? " (May 2006); as a defense attorney on the NBC series, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (November 2006); as a judge on the ABC series Boston Legal (May 2007); and as an accident victim in Grey's Anatomy (September 2008). Of her role in Grey's Anatomy , TV Guide wrote: "Peters
11252-509: The show and parodies of Broadway musical numbers. Peters continued her association with Sondheim by appearing in a 1995 benefit concert of Anyone Can Whistle , playing the role of Fay Apple. Additionally, she appeared in several concerts featuring Sondheim's work, and performed at his 1993 Kennedy Center Honors ceremony. She next starred in the musical adaptation of Neil Simon 's The Goodbye Girl with music by Marvin Hamlisch (1993). Peters won her second Tony for Best Leading Actress in
11368-517: The stage as a child actress and then a teenager in the 1960s, and in film and television from the 1970s. She was praised for this early work and for appearances on, among other programs, The Muppet Show and The Carol Burnett Show , and for her roles in films including Silent Movie (1976), The Jerk (1979), Pennies from Heaven (1981, for which she won a Golden Globe Award ), and Annie (1982). She has also acted in television shows such as Ally McBeal , Smash (2012–2013), Mozart in
11484-611: The stage name taken from her father's first name. She made her professional stage debut the same month in This Is Goggle , a comedy directed by Otto Preminger that closed during out-of-town tryouts before reaching New York. She then appeared on NBC television as Anna Stieman in A Boy Called Ciske , a Kraft Mystery Theatre production, in May 1958, and in a vignette entitled "Miracle in the Orphanage", part of "The Christmas Tree",
11600-499: The struggle, and Herman finally finds the nerve to stand up for her by striking Pasquale ("I Made a Fist"). Tony convinces Rosabella to return to their home, where they will tell their friends and the townspeople Tony is the father. Reunited with Rosabella and soon to be a father, Tony affirms that he truly is "the most happy fella." ("Finale"). The try-out of The Most Happy Fella opened in Boston on Tuesday, March 13, 1956, at
11716-531: The television show I Love Lucy (Season 6, episode 22 titled "Lucy’s Night In Town"), the Ricardos and Mertzes travel to New York City from their new country home in Connecticut to attend a sold-out evening performance of The Most Happy Fella . During dinner they discover Lucy had mistakenly purchased tickets for the matinee. Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball 's Desilu Productions owned a large portion of
11832-521: The term z domu (literally meaning "of the house", de domo in Latin ) may be used, with rare exceptions, meaning the same as née . The Most Happy Fella It was broadcast in a live telecast of The Ed Sullivan Show on Sunday, October 28, 1956, the night of Elvis Presley 's second appearance on that show. That broadcast was seen in some 168 stations in North America and garnered
11948-494: The term. In his book The World of Musical Comedy , Stanley Green noted that the musical is "one of the most ambitiously operatic works ever written for the Broadway theatre ... Loesser said 'I may give the impression this show has operatic tendencies. If people feel that way – fine. Actually all it has is a great frequency of songs. It's a musical with music.' " In an article in the Playbill Magazine for
12064-506: The theatre", specifically for her work with Broadway Barks . In making the announcement for this award, the Tony official site noted "With a rich generosity of spirit, Bernadette Peters' devotion to charitable causes is perhaps only outweighed by her much fêted dedication to performing. ... Peters' efforts are held in the highest regard on Broadway and beyond." BC/EFA's Tom Viola said, "Bernadette's boundless compassion and generosity represent
12180-545: The tribute revue Stephen Sondheim's Old Friends , running at the Gielgud Theatre from September 2023 to January 2024. The revue is scheduled to transfer to Broadway's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre in March 2025, again with Peters and Salonga, following a pre-Broadway run at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles. Peters has recorded six solo albums and several singles. Three of her albums have been nominated for
12296-568: The urging of the workshop cast. She also appeared in the season 1 finale, "Bombshell" (May 2012), to celebrate Ivy's presumed role as Marilyn, in " The Parents " episode (April 2013), where, as Leigh, she sings an original Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman song, "Hang the Moon", and in the episodes " Opening Night " (April 2013) and " The Phenomenon " (May 2013). Peters starred in the Sondheim and Wynton Marsalis staged concert revue titled A Bed and
12412-494: The very high note at the end of 'Losing My Mind' often not attempted by interpreters of that particular Sondheim song." Peters and Steve Martin began a romantic relationship in 1977 that lasted approximately four years. By 1981, her popularity led to her appearing on the cover and in a non-nude spread in the December 1981 issue of Playboy Magazine , in which she posed in lingerie designed by Bob Mackie . Peters married investment adviser Michael Wittenberg on July 20, 1996, at
12528-724: Was busy making The Music Man for Warner Bros., so she was dropped and Natalie Wood was brought in. Wood was also busy though, making Gypsy for Warner Bros.. Astaire downright refused to participate in the project, but came back to the studio to make Finian's Rainbow . The film never came to fruition. A revival of the film was discussed in the 1980s, but never got anywhere. In the Golden Gate Restaurant in San Francisco in 1927, tired and harassed young waitress Cleo commiserates with her friend. Cleo's feet hurt ("Ooh My Feet") and her friend has had to fend off
12644-522: Was by Jo Mielziner . The original production was partially bankrolled by Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz . (See "In Popular Culture", below.) The New York City Center staged a limited run of 16 performances from February 10 through February 22, 1959. The cast included Norman Atkins as Tony, Paula Stewart as Rosabella, Libi Staiger as Cleo, Art Lund as Joe, Jack DeLeon as Herman, Muriel Birkhead as Marie, and Bernadette Peters as Tessie. The West End production, directed by Jerome Eskow, opened at
12760-410: Was filmed and broadcast in Australia later that month. Peters starred in the Broadway revival of Sondheim's A Little Night Music (2010), succeeding Catherine Zeta-Jones in the role of Desirée Armfeldt. The New York Times reviewer wrote of her performance, [F]or theater lovers there can be no greater current pleasure than to witness Bernadette Peters perform the show's signature number, "Send In
12876-499: Was filmed and later broadcast by PBS ' Great Performances in 1980. A 2-DVD set of this PBS performance was released in the 2000s. A New York City Opera production ran from September 4 through October 18, 1991. Directed by Arthur Alan Seidelman, it starred Louis Quilico as Tony, Elizabeth Walsh as Rosabella, and Karen Ziemba as Cleo. The Goodspeed Opera House presented the musical, directed by Gerald Gutierrez , in May and June 1991. This production had two pianos instead of
12992-519: Was nominated for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series on The Muppet Show (1977). On The Muppet Show , Peters sang the song "Just One Person" to Robin the Frog . She was one of the Muppets ' guests when they hosted The Tonight Show in 1979, again singing "Just One Person" to Robin, and she appeared in other episodes with the Muppets. She performed and presented at
13108-458: Was nominated for a Grammy Award. Peters's next studio album, in 2002, Bernadette Peters Loves Rodgers and Hammerstein , consisted entirely of Rodgers and Hammerstein songs, including two that she often sings in her concerts, " Some Enchanted Evening " and " There Is Nothin' Like a Dame ". This album, which reached position 14 on the Billboard "Top Internet Albums" chart, was her third album in
13224-561: Was re-released on CD in 1992 as Bernadette , with the 1980 Vargas cover art, and included some of the songs from Now Playing . In 1996, she was nominated for a Grammy Award for her best-selling album, I'll Be Your Baby Tonight , which includes popular songs by John Lennon , Paul McCartney , Lyle Lovett , Hank Williams , Sam Cooke and Billy Joel , as well as Broadway classics by Leonard Bernstein and Rodgers and Hammerstein . The live recording of her 1996 Carnegie Hall concert, Sondheim, Etc. – Bernadette Peters Live At Carnegie Hall , also
13340-797: Was recorded and released on VHS , and also aired on U.S. Public Television stations. She continues to perform her solo concert at venues around the U.S., such as the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami, and with symphony orchestras such as the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Dallas Symphony, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic at Walt Disney Hall. In a review of her 2002 Radio City Music Hall concert, Stephen Holden of The New York Times described Peters as "the peaches-and-cream embodiment of an ageless storybook princess... inside
13456-435: Was unusual for the time. Because the score was so extensive, the cast album had to be released as a three LP record set. Columbia also released a more conventional album of excerpted highlights. The original cast album was re-released on November 15, 1991 by Sony (ASIN: B0000027TC). The 1992 Broadway revival cast album was produced by RCA Victor Broadway (ASIN: B000003FBK) and released on June 9, 1992. Jay Records released
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