'An Evening With Bernadette Peters' Comes To Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall 1/3/2010

Tony® Award winning actress/singer Bernadette Peters, one of the most sought-after stars in musical theater, brings her celebrated show An Evening with Bernadette Peters to the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall on Sunday, Jan. 3 at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $50-$75 (with a limited number of "smart seats" priced at $30). In addition, the Van Wezel is partnering with Broadway Barks-a charity founded by Peters and her friend Mary Tyler Moore---to provide patrons with a $5 discount off the ticket price when they donate pet items (including canned food, towels, sheets, cat litter, rugs, pet toys and other useful items) to Sarasota County Animal Services.

Throughout her illustrious career, Bernadette Peters has performed on stage and television, in concert and on recordings. In 2003, she received her seventh Tony Award nomination for her electrifying portrayal of Momma Rose in Sam Mendes' record-breaking Broadway revival of Gypsy. She also starred in Broadway's Song and Dance, Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods and Annie Get Your Gun.

Peters made her Broadway debut in 1967 in Johnny No-Trump, and in 1968 starred with Joel Grey in the musical George M!, earning a Theatre World Award for her memorable portrayal of Josie Cohan. That same year, she received a Drama Desk Award for her show-stopping performance in the hit off-Broadway musical Dames at Sea.

Peters also has an impressive list of television credits ranging from performing arts specials such as PBS' Evening at Pops and The Kennedy Center Honors to appearances in variety shows such as The Carol Burnett Show and an Emmy-nominated performance on The Muppet Show. She appeared in the star-studded Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall and also played an opera diva on the verge of a nervous breakdown in Terrence McNally's The Last Mile, both for PBS' highly acclaimed Great Performances series. Other television credits include FOX's hit TV series Ally McBeal, Cinderella (as the wicked stepmother) and The Last Best Year with Mary Tyler Moore.

Film credits include The Jerk with Steve Martin, The Longest Yard with Burt Reynolds, Silent Movie with Mel Brooks, Annie with Carol Burnett, Pink Cadillac with Clint Eastwood, Slaves of New York with Mercedes Ruehl, Woody Allen's Alice with Mia Farrow, Impromptu with Hugh Grant and Mandy Patinkin, and most recently, It Runs in the Family, starring opposite Kirk and Michael Douglas.
For her many achievements, Peters received Harvard's Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year award for her "lasting and impressive contribution to the world of entertainment." Other notable honors include a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and the Artistic Achievement Award from the Actors Fund of America.

Donation drop-offs for the Broadway Barks $5 discount are at the Van Wezel and at Sarasota County Animal Services, 8451 Bee Ridge Rd., Sarasota.

For more information and to buy tickets, contact the Van Wezel Box Office at 941- 953-3368 or log onto www.vanwezel.org. Dinner is available prior to most shows by Michael's on East at the Van Wezel by calling (941) 366-0007 or logging onto www.bestfood.com.

Set along Sarasota's beautiful bayfront, the landmark Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall is celebrating its 40th anniversary of entertaining audiences with a variety of music, dance, theater, comedy and children's shows. Its mission is to present a broad spectrum of the world's finest performing artists in order to meet the diverse cultural needs of all of Southwest Florida's residents and visitors. The Van Wezel is also committed to bringing visiting artists into the community for meaningful education and outreach programs.