Will surely go down as one of the great Tony performances.
"You can't overrate Bernadette Peters. She is such a genius. There's a moment in "Too Many Mornings" and Bernadette doing 'I wore green the last time' - It's a voice that is just already given up - it is so sorrowful. Tragic. You can see from that moment the show is going to be headed into such dark territory and it hinges on this tiny throwaway moment of the voice." - Ben Brantley (2022)
"Bernadette's whole, stunning performance [as Rose in Gypsy] galvanized the actors capable of letting loose with her. Bernadette's Rose did take its rightful place, but too late, and unseen by too many who should have seen it" Arthur Laurents (2009)
"Sondheim's own favorite star performances? [Bernadette] Peters in ''Sunday in the Park,'' Lansbury in ''Sweeney Todd'' and ''obviously, Ethel was thrilling in 'Gypsy.'' Nytimes, 2000
It's unreal. This is how contemporary musical theatre should be performed. She throws her heart and soul out onto that stage. This is passion. Reckless abandoned. Truly one of a kind.
I regret being the dissenting voice but I didn't get that performance. Yes, she can belt her face off but I didn't get the emotional journey. What I got was technique and working the soft palate like a full-time job. She is not, IMHO, the best singing storyteller around by a long shot despite those fierce pipes.
Hands down, HANDS DOWN the best performance of the night. It drives me crazy that this show is not getting the respect it deserves. Also, I cannot believe this song did not elicit a standing ovation from the audience. What a special talent this woman is.
There's no question about that voice. But I imagine she's not going to appreciate how she looks when she see's the playback. The facial expressions were truly frightening. What looks good on stage does not always translate to the camera.
I wasn't biting your head off. Not every show is for everyone. So, if you don't like the music for If/Then, then you're ahead of the game of the people who went and didn't like it, or the people on the fence. I happened to love it and saw it three times, but that's kind of what's good about it. There are shows for everyone. Removing the shows you don't want to see increases your odds of seeing something you like...