After last appearing on our shores nearly five years ago, Bernadette Peters received an enthusiastic welcome back to Australia. Peters is a Broadway veteran and true diva, and received two ovations. With a performance that was significantly inferior to her show at the 2009 Adelaide Cabaret Festival, perhaps the audience’s response was obligatory. Like the character she played in Gypsy, maybe Peters is on her way ‘out with the garbage’.
Certainly, the insipid overture and opening number suggested as much. ‘Let Me Entertain You’ from Gypsy was an obvious choice, but it was grimly executed. Peters’ loose interpretation of time and pitch proved too adventurous and was questionable technically. The orchestra responded nervously- unsure whether to follow the consentient beat or Peters’ own. This was a recurring characteristic of the evening: loose intonation, unstable interpretation of rhythm and meter, occasional inability to support and sustain note duration, and vibrato that undulated so vigorously that the note practically traversed an entire harmonic series.
Maybe it was most irksome that Peters required a written list to introduce the orchestra members (and still managed to pronounce names incorrectly). Even her patter was a little condescending, with constant and unabashed reference to a swag of celebrity friends, an enviable real estate portfolio and frivolous retail spending.
Peters’ musical inconsistency is a peculiar thing really, considering her outstanding execution of such pieces as ‘Send in the Clowns’ (a complete standout), the playful rendition of ‘There is Nothin’ Like a Dame’, and ‘Mister Snow’ from Carousel. Sometimes, there is a goosebump-inducing sparkle to Peters’ voice.
As could be expected, the program was brimming with show tunes, and so Peters’ rendition of the jazz standard ‘Fever’ came as a welcome surprise. Draped across the piano and flaunting her cheeky humour and cool jazz flair, it’s a wonder why Peters didn’t diverge from the Broadway melodies more often. Her small tribute to entertainer Peter Allen was very sweet and a touching gesture to Australia.
While they were clearly a talented bunch, the enigmatic Australian Stage Orchestra sounded very brittle. This may have been a result of thin orchestration or sound design; nevertheless, the ensemble (predominantly comprising local Sydney musicians) was in fine form.
It would be inaccurate to say that the audience left the Theatre Royal feeling unsatisfied. Bernadette Peters is, unquestionably, a fabulous entertainer. But, with tickets obliterating the hip-pocket, it would be reasonable for patrons to expect a little more.
Rating: 3 ½ out of 5 stars
Bernadette Peters in Concert
Bernadette Peters
Musical Director: Marvin Laird
Orchestra: Australian Stage Orchestra
Theatre Royal, Sydney
2-4 April
Jupiters Hotel & Casino Gold Coast, QLD
5 April
Her Majesty’s Theatre, Melbourne
7-8 April
www.ticketmaster.com.au
