Is it me or was Bernadette Peters' performance in the recent production of "FOLLIES" awful?? I've never seen her or any other actress act so poorly on a broadway stage and on top of that her voice was vitrually lost. I still loved the production on a whole and saw it several times thanks to the other key players. Bernadette queen of broadway, no way. That honor definitely belongs to Patti.
And, I have to say, I agree with the original poster. I just bought the album, and I can't stand Peters' renditions of those beautiful songs. I love her on the Gypsy album and she's great fun on the Annie get your gun recording too, but I just think she knows nothing about vocal subtlety.. You want to hear a definitive recording of 'Losing My Mind' - listen to Julia McKenzie do it. That is magical.
When I saw it last summer, I thought her acting OK, but definitely agree, vocally, she couldn't handle it. Too much back and forth over her noticeable vocal break. Yodeling on the top, and way too "different" a sound from her lower range.
I've never seen Bernatte Peters. Maybe she performs under the rock from which you crawled out from under.
"The sexual energy between the mother and son really concerns me!"-random woman behind me at Next to Normal
"I want to meet him after and bang him!"-random woman who exposed her breasts at Rock of Ages, referring to James Carpinello
I have no idea who Bernette Peters is, but BERNADETTE Peters was amazing in FOLLIES. One the most heartfelt and raw and honest performances I have ever seen.
"TO LOVE ANOTHER PERSON IS TO SEE THE FACE OF GOD"- LES MISERABLES---
"THERE'S A SPECIAL KIND OF PEOPLE KNOWN AS SHOW PEOPLE... WE'RE BORN EVERY NIGHT AT HALF HOUR CALL!"--- CURTAINS
Ah, to be 12 again! Thinking you posted a witty message trashing a Broadway legend while promoting your favorite one, while in reality you just can't even spell a name.
Listen, I don't take my clothes off for anyone, even if it is "artistic". - JANICE
Peters' vocal performance was inconsistent throughout the run. I saw the production five times--sometimes she sounded amazing, other times truly painful.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
Is it me or was lupone76's performance in the recent thread of "Bernatte Peters lackluster performance....." awful?? I've never seen him or any other poster post so poorly on a broadway page and on top of that his voice was vitrually lost. I still loved the thread on a whole and saw it several times thanks to the other key players. lupone76 queen of broadwayWorld, no way. That honor definitely belongs to After Eight.
CHURCH DOOR TOUCAN GAY MARKETING PUPPIES MUSICAL THEATER STAPLES PERIOD OIL BITCHY SNARK HOLES
To steer the conversation away from Bernatte's bareback film roles...
I hated Bernadette in FOLLIES. Thought she was miscast and couldn't sing the score. But then again, I've never really been a Bernie fan. Ironically, I'm more of a Patti kinda guy.
"I know now that theatre saved my life." - Susan Stroman
I didn't care for her performance at all and ruined it the night I saw it. It couldn't hit the notes and she played the role so slowly it made made the production seem to last days and just plod along. Massive shame but she over thought the role.
Loosing My Mind should bring the house down, but it was so scratchy and done so boringly it didn't.
It puts the lotion in the basket if it can't hit the notes.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body
Julia McKenzie was great, but how can you discuss Sally and not mention Dorothy Collins? Even if you didn't see her (and there are now so many videos of the original production, you CAN see her), her performance, and in particular her singing of Sally's two key numbers, was devastating. When she says at the end, "Oh dear Lord, it is tomorrow," one's heart broke.
Oh, please. I heard Miss McKenzie sing the songs in SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM numerous times. And of course I have the London album. Was she terrific? Absolutely!
Definitive? No. Not to anyone who saw the OBC.
But I will be glad when, any day now, we can stop trashing Peters and start in on Victoria Clark.
Updated On: 2/27/12 at 02:48 PM
Gaveston, I highly doubt we'll see the level of bashing for Clark that Peters has received. If nothing else she'll sing the songs beautifully, which seems like the only concern for many people on here.
"You travel alone because other people are only there to remind you how much that hook hurts that we all bit down on. Wait for that one day we can bite free and get back out there in space where we belong, sail back over water, over skies, into space, the hook finally out of our mouths and we wander back out there in space spawning to other planets never to return hurrah to earth and we'll look back and can't even see these lives here anymore. Only the taste of blood to remind us we ever existed. The earth is small. We're gone. We're dead. We're safe."
-John Guare, Landscape of the Body