Other than a Blackgama mink coat, what becomes a musical theater legend most? Staying power, for sure. Survival instinct, we mean. Glamour is a given. Talent, of course, and the ability to keep going at former intensity. Stage presence, naturally. A sturdy, loyal fan base is a must. And that undefinable, rock-ribbed connection between audience and performer.
Not every legend has all these qualities. Some, nowadays, are legends just for being legends; you know, famous for being famous. But when their five minutes are up, these diva manqués fade quickly or rush into the smaller venue of television. Unfortunately, they still carry their ragged legend with them, dragging it around and sullying themselves.
Today, musical theater legends are a dying breed. There are no more Mermans, Channings, Martins, Cooks, Harrises. Younger ones like Audra McDonald, maybe Kelli O’Hara, might be remembered in decades to come, but exceptional star wattage seems to elude them. Immensely talented with awards to show for it, they haven’t yet captured their true worth or our imagination. Today, they might be legends, but tomorrow?
Bernadette Peters is a theater legend. She might mock you for saying so, but I only know what I’ve read from people who have worked with her. Co-stars and stagehands agree that she is quite ordinary in person, down to earth, and the least stuffy of all. Humble in her craft, she still learns from each appearance, honing her performance, getting better song by song, role by role.
She has starred under the masters Stephen Sondheim, Jerry Herman, Irving Berlin, Rogers and Hammerstein, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Jule Stein – Broadway legends in themselves – and she always brings that little bit extra to their work that truly makes it sing from the heart. Her film roles haven’t been as successful. Though her work in The Jerk (1979), Pennies from Heaven (1981), and Annie (1982) showcased her unique style and range, the movies didn’t know what to do with her. She’s a Broadway Baby, nominated for the Tony Award seven times, winning Best Actress in a Musical for Webber’s Song and Dance (1986) and Berlin’s Annie Get Your Gun (1999). She has also received nine Drama Desk nominations, four Emmy nominations, and three Grammy nominations.
She gets to the essence of a song as if it’s a monologue. She knows exactly how to tell a story, when to go easy, when to pour it on. Her distinctive voice – an occasional rasp, a sexy growl, an innocent purr – is mighty effective in putting across a mini drama like “In Buddy’s Eyes” from Follies, the haunting “No One Is Alone” from Into the Woods, the Peggy Lee sizzler “Fever,” or the rousing comic anthem “There is Nothing Like a Dame” from South Pacific.
These were a few stunners from her song list yesterday evening on her 2026 concert tour, sponsored in Houston by Hobby Center’s Beyond Broadway series. Peters continues on a whirlwind cross-country jaunt through June, from here to California, South Carolina, Nevada, Georgia, Wisconsin, New York, Tennessee, etc., having just appeared last week at Radio City Music Hall with the New York Philharmonic under maestro superstar Gustavo Dudamel. This gal is the energizer bunny.
The breaks between gigs should serve her well, for at times her voice frayed a bit on top, but her middle range was rock solid, her sweet spot. She can belt, no question, as proved in the ragtime “So Long Dearie” from Hello, Dolly; and when she digs deep into a song like Sondheim’s classic “Send in the Clowns” from A Little Night Music, she breaks your heart with her honest vulnerability.
Accompanied by her accomplished trio (music director Ted Firth on piano, Kevin Axt on bass, Patrick “Cubby” O’Brien on drums) and framed by swanky drapery and classy lighting that halos her patented Titian curls, Peters glistens in the limelight. She radiates like the star she is. (About her drummer: If you are a certain age and watched the Mickey Mouse Club faithfully after school, guess who? Yes, that Cubby, the adorable Mouseketeer who could play drums like a mini Gene Krupa. There is life after Disney, a most successful fulfilling one.)
Peters certainly has it all – charm, wit, vivacity, distinctive voice, sultry vibe, unceasing talent, and glamour for days. Voluptuous with a capital V, she catwalks on stage in a sequined skin-tight gown slit all the way up Broadway. Thunderous applause greets her, added by random audience shouts of “I love you, Bernadette.” She has us in the palm of her hand. And we never want to leave.
Next stop, February 19, at the Agua Caliente Casino Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage, CA. Bet on her. She will always be the winner.
This article appears in Private: Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2026.