Listen: Bernadette Peters Would Rather Play Sweeney Todd Than Mrs. Lovett

Bernadette Peters is a leading interpreter of Stephen Sondheim's work, having taking on the roles of Dot in Sunday in the Park with George, the Witch in Into the Woods, Desiree Armfeldt in A Little Night Music, Sally in Follies, and many more. 

Peters recently appeared as a guest on the podcast Stagecraft with Gordon Cox. When asked if she would like to star in Sweeney Todd as Mrs. Lovett, Peters responded, "I have to be honest, I was never drawn to it. I have to be honest about that. But, you know, he writes such interesting things, and... you know, I could kick it around!" 

When asked what traditionally male role she would like to take on, Peters responded, "I'd like to play Sweeney Todd!" 

Sweeney Todd is currently running on Broadway at Lunt-Fontanne Theatre.

Listen below!

About Bernadette Peters

Throughout her illustrious career, Ms. Peters has dazzled audiences and critics with her performances on stage and television, in concert, and on recordings. Ms. Peters enjoys a career which boasts an impressive list of television credits, including co-starring in Amazon Prime's highly popular Mozart in the Jungle, which won the 2016 Golden Globe for Best TV Comedy or Musical series. She also co-starred in the CBS All-Access series, The Good Fight, a spin-off of the network's popular series, The Good Wife.

One of Broadway's most critically acclaimed performers, Peters has won numerous accolades including three Tony Awards, a Golden Globe, two Grammy Awards, three Emmy nominations and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She recently appeared in City Center's Encores! production, A Bed and a Chair: A New York Love Affair featuring the music of Stephen Sondheim and orchestrations by Wynton Marsalis. Other Broadway credits include Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music and Follies, which also played the Kennedy Center.

Peters received both the Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for her performance in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, Song and Dance. She earned her second Tony Award for her performance in Annie Get Your Gun. She also received Tony nominations for her outstanding performances in Sam Mendes' critically acclaimed revival of Gypsy (as Momma Rose), in Neil Simon's The Goodbye Girl, Stephen Sondheim's Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Sunday in the Park with George, the Jerry Herman/Gower Champion Ode to the Movies, Mack and Mabel and the Leonard Bernstein/Comden and Green musical On The Town. In addition to these honors, Peters earned a Drama Desk nomination for her unforgettable portrayal of the Witch in Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods. Her most recent appearance on Broadway was in the revival of Hello, Dolly! in which she starred as the title character.

Other television credits include NBC-TVs Smash, ABC-TV's Grey's Anatomy and Ugly Betty, to name a few. In addition to starring in the Lifetime TV movie Living Proof, Peters has lit up the silver screen in 17 films throughout her distinguished career. She received a Golden Globe Award for her memorable performance in Pennies From Heaven. Other film credits include the 1997 Cinderella (recently released on Disney+), The Jerk, The Longest Yard, Silent Movie Annie, Pink Cadillac, Slaves of New York, Woody Allen's Alice, Impromptu, It Runs in the Family and Coming Up Roses.

Peters has recorded six solo albums, including the Grammy-nominated I'll Be Your Baby Tonight, Sondheim, Etc.: Bernadette Peters Live at Carnegie Hall and Bernadette Peters Loves Rodgers & Hammerstein, in addition to numerous original Broadway cast recordings.