Review Roundup: Bernadette is Back in HELLO, DOLLY! Find Out What the Critics Think...

Two-time Tony Award winner Bernadette Peters, capping a 60-years-long career of triumph after triumph as "the most accomplished musical comedy star of her generation" (The Washington Post), struts back to the stage in the title role in the most successful and beloved Broadway production of the year: Hello, Dolly!, winner of the Tony Award® for Best Revival of a Musical.

Ms. Peters joins the astonishing list of Broadway and Hollywood luminaries who have inhabited the role, which, in addition to Ms. Midler, includes Carol Channing, Pearl Bailey, Phyllis Diller, Betty Grable, Martha Raye, Ginger Rogers, Ethel Merman, in her last appearance on Broadway, and Mary Martin, who led the West End company.

One of Broadway's most critically acclaimed performers, Peters has won numerous accolades including three Tony Awards®, a Golden Globe, three Grammy® nominations, three Emmy® nominations and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Tonight was her official opening night at the Shubert Theatre. Let's see what the critics had to say...

Jesse Green, New York Times: Critic's Pick - That something is not a stage personality filled with gregarious high spirits. Ms. Peters is neither the hoyden type nor the winking type, at least not since her days as a self-parodying chorine. Where Ms. Midler wrung laughs from a line like "I'm tired, Ephraim, tired of living from hand to mouth" - sometimes even pretending to collapse in decrepitude - Ms. Peters doesn't even go for a giggle. She makes it clear that Dolly is talking about real hardships: the anxiety of work and the loneliness of a widow.

Frank Scheck: The Hollywood Reporter: That's because the veteran, two-time Tony Award winning performer has brought a poignancy to the production that wasn't quite in evidence with her predecessor, Bette Midler. Midler was a powerhouse presence to be sure, bringing to the part all of her star wattage and formidable comic chops. Her starring turn, which resulted in sell-out performances and huge box-office grosses, became instantly iconic. But you never felt as much concern and tenderness toward her Dolly as you do for this one.

Kevin Connolly Entertainment Weekly: But here's the paradox: Both women understand that to play Dolly is to play yourself, and so the thread binding their performances is also what makes them unique. Peters' Dolly may be familiar, but she's still a new creation. Where Midler's personality soared to the back of the balcony, Peters engages with the audience on a more intimate level, at times working the crowd like a comedian singling out a spectator. Gliding along the passerelle, she gestures beatifically to specific people at her feet, holding eye contact like she knows she's doing you a favor. I could swear her "So Long Dearie" was to me.

Joe Dziemianowicz, NY Daily News: The two-time Tony winner brings high spirits, warmth and a voice that will make you laugh and cry with joy. Peters also announces herself as a master of the droll triple take. Her playful peepers and comic timing make a moment in a milliner's shop all the merrier.

Tim Teeman, The Daily Beast: Peters obviously has the stage stature, but she is a very different Dolly. Midler exuded a flirty, knowing, audience-winking warmth in her Dolly. Peters, the night this reviewer attended at least, seemed more distant and (even if this means my gay card being immediately revoked) more nervous and tentative in the role.

Peter Marks, The Washington Post: If Bette Midler's Dolly Gallagher Levi was a dizzying whirlwind of bite and bluster, Bernadette Peters's is a gentler event, one of endearingly zany charms and touching warmth. She's the polish on Midler's brass.

Barbara Schuler, Newsday: "Bette, who?" is all I have to say. Peters electrifies the Shubert Theatre stage with her warm, finely nuanced take on matchmaker Dolly Gallagher Levi, the multitasking widow who decides to rejoin the human race, with a perfect mix of heartfelt vocals and impeccable comic timing.

Marilyn Stasio, Variety: Bernadette Peters' return to Broadway puts the "doll" back in "Hello, Dolly!" Tiny, trim, and in terrific voice, the Tony Award-winning diva tops off previous triumphs like "Mack and Mabel" and "Sunday in the Park with George" with yet another beautifully sung (and sensitively felt) star performance, stepping into the show that Bette Midler turned into a smash.

Thom Geier, TheWrap: Don't pity Bernadette Peters for taking over for the force of nature known as Bette Midler in the title role of the Tony-winning hit musical revival "Hello, Dolly!" The Broadway veteran is, as the Act 2 song goes, back where she belongs and bringing a distinctly Broadway energy to this warhorse of a show.

Michael Dale, BroadwayWorld: Peters expertly delivers the exact kind of Dolly a seasoned theatre-goer would expect from her; a fast-thinking entrepreneur using her delicate Gibson Girl appearance and cordial manner to always keep those around her off guard. He knack for high comedy is spot on and her quiet moments alone as she asks her late husband for a sign that he approves of her choice to remarry are tender and heartwarming. Her vocals are pure and masterful. Just try to find a moment so thrilling on Broadway now as her determined and gutsy "Before The Parade Passes By" or as snazzy as her vaudevillian turn in "So Long, Dearie."

Photo Credit: Julieta Cervantes

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