Review: BERNADETTE PETERS at Carnegie Hall Is Iconic

Renowned Broadway singer Bernadette Peters made a stunning return to Carnegie Hall on Monday October 27, 2024 at 8 pm. It had been nearly 30 years since her last show there, the 1997 Sondheim, Etc., but it was well worth the wait. Singing a selection of mostly Sondheim work, Peters delivered powerhouse after powerhouse with her signature voice, and the crowd couldn’t get enough of her. The band opened with a medley of tunes from her career, including the infectious Jerry Herman tunes “Look What Happened to Mabel” and “When Mabel Walks in the Room.” When “Mabel” walked in the room, wearing a slinky, sparkly off-white dress, the crowd leapt to their feet, the first of many standing ovations Peters would receive throughout the night.

Peters radiates charm and star power. She showed off her considerable range over the course of the night. She opened with a relatively simple up-tempo “Old Friends,” a nod to the Sondheim tribute show she just performed in on the West End in London and is about to take to Broadway. Of course, she’s also a wonderful comedic talent. She did a very over-the-top “There Is Nothing Like a Dame,” hamming it up, and dipping into a glitzy nightclub-style singing so absurd for the original context of that song that she had the crowd guffawing with laughter. Memorably, she draped herself across the piano to sing Eddie Cooley and Otis Blackwell’s “Fever,” managing to draw laughs with some of her exaggerated “sexy” poses while delivering an otherwise straight version of the song.

A true Sondheim leading lady needs comedic chops and serious acting in equal measure, plus a killer voice, and Peters is the real deal. When she sang “Losing My Mind,” she choked up with so much emotion, building to a crescendo, that it really seemed like she was losing her mind. You could feel the crowd hanging on every note. Although the run-tme was a little long for a solo cabaret show at roughly two hours, Peters kept the songs varied enough to keep the audience focused. About midway through the show, she sang Sondheim’s “Goodbye for Now” (Reds) and rushed off-stage, re-appearing moments later in Miss Mazeppa’s hat, launching into a lively “You Gotta Get a Gimmick.” For that song, she was joined by Heather Lee and Julie Halston reviving their roles as Tessie Tura and Electra from the 2003 production of Gypsy that Bernadette Peters starred in. All three of them were clearly having a blast playing world-worn burlesque performers in the fun and lively number.

Of course, she also did some of the most iconic songs from shows she’s been in on Broadway (including “No One Is Alone,” which she didn’t sing in the original production, but we’ll allow it). She did a haunting “Children Will Listen,” a nuanced “Send In the Clowns.” She performed the short, poignant monologue preceding the joyful showstopper “Before the Parade Passes By” from Hello Dolly. The entire evening was like a mini sampler of some of the best of Peters’ career, plus a couple of songs that she wanted to sing, including a couple of Hammerstein classics that moved her as a child listening to them on records. She ended the night by scooching her way to sit down on the stage (wrapping a blanket around herself because “with the dress I’m wearing ... I don’t want to embarrass myself) and singing “Anyone Can Whistle,” a simple but powerful number and the perfect choice to close out a mesmerizing show.

The show featured music direction from the acclaimed Tedd Firth, on the piano. Peters was backed by a wonderful band featuring Kevin Axt on bass, original Mouseketeer Cubby O’Brien on drums, Joyce Hammann and Monica Davis on violin, Jocelin Pan on viola, Mairi Dorman-Phaneuf on cello, David Mann and Aaron Heick on reeds, and Eric Reed on French horn.

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The night kicked off Carnegie Hall’s Originals series, which continues tomorrow night, November 1 with Pink Martini featuring Storm Large, Ari Shapiro, Edna Vazquez, Jimmie Herrod and special guest Shoshana Bean. The series continues on February 14, 2025 Jinkx Monsoon and on March 27, 2025 with Cécile McLorin Salvant. Tickets to all three remaining shows are available on Carnegie Hall’s website.

Learn more about Bernadette Peters on her website at www.officialbernadettepeters.com

Find more upcoming shows at Carnegie Hall on their website.

Header photo credit: Chris Lee

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