I was there ... The performance was totally wonderful! I can’t say enough about it. I’ve loved this show from the beginning. I have a great respect for the show itself and this production was just stellar.
I have to admit one of the funniest things was the audience. Since this is a really long show (3 hours) the audience was really hyped at the beginning of the show clapped their little hearts out. But after a while (since all these songs are standards and do deserve applause) the claps were shorter for the starts of each song after a while. But Bernadette did get a standing ovation when she entered. It was wonderful! This may be her last performance on Broadway for a while. This was a well-deserved ovation for her amazing performance to come.
Her energy was crazy. I mean, she was really milking these great comedic moments and her ability to keep the audience in the palm of her hand was amazing. SOME PEOPLE was just great. Her voice was strong and she went for all the notes and sounded great. Of course, she had great energy. I mean, I think I should make a general note that the whole cast was so there (mentally and physically). You could tell that they wanted this last performance to really count for something.
Next highlight song was probably SMALL WORLD, which was just so moving. You can really tell how much John and Bernadette appreciate each other as performers and that came through in this song. They were very playful and it was almost like the fourth wall closed in and they were just enjoying the moment. Both sounded in strong voice.
Then YOU'LL NEVER GET AWAY WITH ME (all other songs were wonderfully performed). This had the same feel as Small World. They were just locked onto each other and really relishing in this last moment on stage. Both sounded great.
Does anyone notice the strange thing that Kate Reinders does with her mouth? It's like she will smile big, bite her teeth and then open wide. Someone had mentioned it to me before, but I didn't notice it ... and then this time I really did notice it ... it was kind of strange.
I actually thought ALL I NEED NOW IS THE GIRL was a bit messy. I thought once Tammy started in, it got a little bit messy. David is an amazing dancer and I think he was really in the moment, but I don't think this was his best performance of the song. I do think David is an incredible performer, all around. He's got such a great stage presence and, of course, he's nice to look at.
EVERYTHING'S COMING UP ROSES was this amazing, haunting ballad today. I've never seen Bernadette like that, EVER. I mean, she was desperate to get this emotion on the stage and get it to the audience. It was just awesome. It was almost this plea to start a new life and, in a sense, bring the audience with her. She was very very physical and moved around quite a bit. You could tell that Tammy and John were just marveling at her. She was amazing and in that final moment ... "for me and for you" ... the audience just leapt to their feet and gave her a great ovation at the end.
The second act was equally wonderful. TOGETHER was wonderful and very hilarious. At the point where they are playing with the pans, Bernadette threw her pan too far and John had to run off stage far to get it and was almost late to return. It was very funny. That song is such a fun and interactional moment ... of course, it's never the same and the audience is always wondering how Tammy and John will follow Madame Bernadette around the stage.
The second act is my absolute favorite. I love every minute of it, mainly because of the amazing way everything in the backstage area is constructed. It's so fun to watch and you almost feel like you are let in on something special, getting to look backstage at all the drama taking place.
YOU GOTTA GET A GIMMICK was WOW! I love Heather, Kate & Gayton ... they have such an amazing chemistry together and you could tell they desperately wanted to hold on to these final moments together on stage. At the end, I was just looking at Kate, who by this time was very moved by the audience's reaction to the song and had some tears rolling. This is their one major moment on stage and you can tell it means the world to them. It's one of the high points of the show and really gets the audience worked up. SMALL WORLD REPRISE was so sad. Bernadette was really moved and that very moment was SOOO there for her. She knew what she was doing and you could feel what she was thinking. I love that about Bernadette ... you can always read her mind on stage. Her eyes, posture and vocal inflections really give way to strong moments.
I have really become a Tammy fan. She makes a major transition in this show and I don't think people recognize it often enough. She's got such a major "growing up" to do. You can tell that she accepts the challenge with gusto and enthusiasm. I have ALWAYS loved the strip scene. And the tribute to Garden of Eden ... WOWSER! I just can't believe it ... it's just like something in one of those classic 1950s movies starring Ann Miller or some other classic dancer and performer. It's so picturesque! Then when she stands up to her mother in the dressing room. That's such a great monologue. It's amazing to see how far she has come up to this point. You're just so impressed with her ability to make that moment count for something.
ROSE'S TURN ... as usual, Bernadette was fiery, vocally in charge and taking the action center stage for this amazing number. There was this feeling in the air ... you could tell the audience was waiting for this moment and Bernadette knew that. She was so ready to make this last song count for something. The intro was longer than usual ... she took her time. Then when she started, the applause came and the audience let her know that they were ready to be impressed. The desperation, fear, and sadness of the character came through and Bernadette's voice filled the theatre. She's such a small woman and to have a voice that huge is just incredible. The standing ovation had to have been 3-4 minutes ... or it felt that long. They couldn't continue because the excitement was so infectious. As soon as the final "for me" went out over the audience, this crazy amount of flashes went off in the theatre. It was almost perfect for the moment. Like Rose got her chance to be "in pictures."
The show was over and the cast came out. Many were in tears and many more were holding back their emotions. But when Bernadette came out ... you just knew how much that cast loves her. I mean, you could feel how much they appreciate and respect her as a performer and love what she stands for as an actress and human being. Bernadette turned to the audience and gave a short speech. She actually had to put her hand up to quiet the audience from their applause. She thanked everyone for coming two or more times to support the show and the actors on stage. She then expressed her love for the cast and told the audience just how much this show meant to her. She was really very moved by the turnout and by the audience's reaction to the show. The cast was in tears and they were stomping their feet, as if to say "we're all in this together and we've come such a long way together."
Overall, attending this performance gave me such an appreciation for the career of Bernadette Peters. People, can you just sit back and think of all the amazing things this woman has done? She's all over the map. People know her worldwide and she's made such a name for herself on stage and in the movies. The respect and admiration shown to her by the people that come to see her perform are are great example to her great ability to make each and every audience member feel special and loved.
The turnout at the stage door was incredible. I would give a guess of how large the crowd was, but I know I would be way off because it seemed like about 200-300 people, but was probably less. There WERE a lot of people, though. She signed and took pictures for everyone.
Someone DID ask her about the tour ... they said, "Is it really true that you're going on tour with this show?" to which she responded, "Well, I'm not quite sure about that. We'll have to see." So that may kind of be in the air right now.
OVERALL ... an A++++ afternoon of theatre.
Updated On: 5/31/04 at 11:56 PM
