Exclusive | Back on Broadway, Bernadette Peters misses her friend Stephen Sondheim: ‘I’ve had dreams about him’

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Not a day goes by that Bernadette Peters doesn’t miss her previous buddy Stephen Sondheim.

“I do consider him day by day,” she informed me over lunch at Cafe Luxembourg. “I’m singing his music, you realize. And I’ve had goals about him. He ought to be right here. He ought to be right here.”

Peters is again on Broadway this season after seven years away, alongside Lea Salonga and 15 others in a beautiful revue of the late composer’s work referred to as “Outdated Buddies.”

Bernadette Peters is again on Broadway in “Outdated Buddies.” Getty Pictures

The viewers on the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre is very rapt and weepy at any time when the beloved actress takes the stage, as a result of she performed such an important function in bringing these timeless songs to life.

Peters, 77, originated a number of the nice Sondheim components: the rapping Witch in 1986’s “Into the Woods” and mannequin Dot in 1984’s “Sunday within the Park with George.”

Later, the New York native starred in revivals of his “A Little Evening Music” and “Follies.”

However the collaboration — some have referred to as her his “muse” — all began with the out-there George Seurat musical “Sunday.”

The actress originated roles in Sondheim reveals resembling “Sunday within the Park with George,” which she recreates in “Outdated Buddies.” AP

“After I first met him, he made me nervous,” Peters mentioned of Sondheim, who’d already delivered notoriously tough reveals resembling “Sweeney Todd” and “Firm.”

“The primary track I acquired was the primary track, ‘Sunday within the Park with George,’ with all these phrases. And I used to be nervous like loopy.”

The jitters quickly went away, although. “He was very form to performers,” she mentioned.

Peters’ favourite reminiscences of Sondheim, who died in 2021, had been when he’d come again to her dressing room and provides notes.

“I used to be fortunate that the author was there for me to speak to and ask questions. ‘What did you imply if you wrote that?’ It’s an awesome present.”

Peters performed Dot in “Sunday” in 1984. Everett Assortment / Everett Assortment

And the expertise, which acquired her and her buddy and co-star Mandy Patinkin Tony nominations, proved life-changing.

“That present was so exceptional and it opened me up a lot that I believed, effectively, I’ll simply do any present that [Sondheim and James Lapine] write that comes alongside. I’ll say ‘sure,’ it doesn't matter what. And he referred to as me for ‘Into the Woods,’ so I went and I did that.”

Now, Peters is in “Outdated Buddies,” which started as a gala placed on by producer Cameron Waterproof coat in London. Its success led to a four-month run within the West Finish, earlier than heading to Los Angeles and eventually to Broadway.

Within the present, the actress croons heart-wrenching numbers she’s recognized for, like “Dropping My Thoughts” and “Ship within the Clowns.”

“As I grow old all of the lyrics actually appear to have much more that means for me,” she mentioned.

Whereas Bernadette Peters is thought for taking part in the Witch in “Into the Woods,” in “Outdated Buddies” she performs Little Pink Driving Hood. Everett Assortment / Everett Assortment

However Peters has additionally thrown us some Sondheim curveballs. For “Into the Woods,” the fairytale musical which has advanced right into a cherished basic, Peters doesn’t sing “Kids Will Hear” because the Witch — she turns into younger Little Pink Driving Hood as a substitute.

Her tune “I Know Issues Now” is about being chased by the Massive Unhealthy Wolf.

“I went, ‘What have I accomplished?! I’m singing a track a baby sings, and now I’m an grownup speaking about . . . is that this like a MeToo motion track?!’,” she mentioned. “So I found out methods to do it.”

In an, erm, much less harmless second, Peters hilariously takes on Mazeppa, the “bump it with a trumpet” stripper from “Gypsy,” in “You Obtained To Get A Gimmick.”

Really, the actress performs the brass instrument so effectively that a few of her mates thought the music was piped in.

“So, I’ve gotta be a bit of sloppy with it,” she mentioned.

Along with “Outdated Buddies,” Peters will seem within the new Jesse Eisenberg movie and is touring her live performance around the globe. Matthew Murphy

Peters has a busy summer time forward. “Outdated Buddies” runs via June 15. Go see it.

Additionally a movie star, having performed reverse Steve Martin in “The Jerk,” she met up with me the identical week she did a day of taking pictures for “A Actual Ache” Oscar nominee Jesse Eisenberg’s upcoming musical-comedy film for A24, which additionally options Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti.