lupone76, your mum actually thinks Bernadette gave the worst performance on Broadway, ever? lol..there seems to be quite a backlash.
I think we should go into more detail than simply "poor" or "can't sing", "can't act" etc. because it is so vague, but what do you expect from "Sally" that Bernadette couldn't deliver?
From the moment she walks on stage till the moment she walks off stage she fully commits to playing a difficult, overwhelmed, crazed woman who is consumed by Ben. She looks and sounds "petite, pert, sweet-faced" and is "still remarkably like the girl she was thirty years ago".
Her line readings, many of which are on the cast recording seem consistent with this character. Notice how she says "Oh buddy...you came"..while hesitating and sounding resentful that he as at the party (It is ambiguous whether she is being intentionally obnoxious or just bad at lying). When she notices that Phyllis has 'came' she is much more friendly/happy, perhaps because she knows there is a correlation between Ben and Phyllis being at the same party. Indeed, notice how she casually drops "Is Ben still in Washington" to see if he is at the party, and her voice changes into girlish excitement with "He's here tonight?" when she knows that they are going to meet. This seems perfect/consistent with the character to me.
Likewise, the line readings leading up to "Loveland" are also some of my favourite. "It's getting late Ben, We should go" and "Please Ben, I'd like to go now"...I find it hard to describe what she is doing but it sounds just so, serious... as if they have already been in a relationship for 30 years and there is nothing unusual or strange about the request (i.e. she sounds practically deluded)
In terms of her singing, I love how she sings and acts "In Buddy's Eyes". I love how sad and reflective her sustained, slow vibrato notes sound throughout the song and how she often decrescendos on them (I also love how she does this in "Losing My Mind" on the "You said you loved meeee" line - although the cast recording does not capture this as well {it cuts off quicker}, or her hitting the low notes in the song compared to when I saw her, but still). Especially in the second half of Buddy's Eyes, I think the long sustained notes with slow vibrato and decrescendos make it so clear that she is 'lying' and is very sad. This seems so consistent with the character.....
I guess I just find it difficult to understand why people don't like her in this role because to me she seems to consistently and appropriately be playing and singing the character. Variety has been particularly harsh of her performance,
"Bernadette Peters, who gave a revelatory performance last season as Desiree in "A Little Night Music," makes a bravely original but ultimately unconvincing Sally. The character is admittedly unstable, but Peters plays it like something out of Albee -- thus seeming stylistically mismatched with everyone else. When those big ballads come along, we can't tell whether Sally is struggling with her emotions or Peters is just struggling with the notes." (lol, they are funny though) and "Victoria Clark replaces the miscast and vocally compromised Bernadette Peters"
I guess I just find it difficult to understand how people can quickly dismiss her performance as "not acted" or "not sung" when I feel it was a thoughtful performance and on paper she perfectly fits the character. I think a better example of questionable Bernadette-acting is her performance in NIGHT MUSIC. Her inconsistent accent and insincere/strange line readings and pauses were out of touch with what she achieved with her amazing "Send in the Clowns" (which might have made that moment even better, though).
Bernadette is one of the few Broadway stars left who can sell tickets (Victoria Clark is not one of them) so I don't know if re-opening would be a good idea, but if it means more recordings then why not :P, it's not my money.
Give me claws and a hunch, just away from this bunch.
Updated On: 5/18/12 at 07:11 PM
