Last night, we went to the Valley Performing Arts Center at CSUN to see Bernadette Peters in Concert. As always, Peters gave a great performance: she sang beautifully, interacted with the audience, and was a delight both to see and watch. She was bubbly and delightful and incredibly sexy.
But…
I didn’t walk away with the “oh wow!” I had hoped for. Perhaps this was due to her program, which was extremely Sondheim heavy. I think there were five songs in the entire program that were not Sondheim: three Rogers and Hammerstein songs (two from “South Pacific” and one from “Carousel”), “O Shenandoah”, and a song she wrote for her children’s book. Perhaps it was because this wasn’t a new show–our daughter, who saw her in Thousand Oaks 2.5 years ago indicated it was essentially the same show (and the same dress and the same jokes). As for the Sondheim, there were numbers from Gypsy, Follies, Company , Into the Woods, and a few I didn’t easily recognize. Most worked, although I didn’t like her rendition of “You Can Drive a Person Crazy” (which really needs the three-part voices).
ETA: I did forget one number where Peters triumphed: a stunning sexy rendition of “You Give Me Fever”, made even more amazing with the realization that not only is Bernadette Peters a smoking hot sexy woman, she is a smoking hot sexy 60+ woman!
What would I have liked? I would have liked some more audience interaction letting us know who she is. This is something both Liza and Dolly do–they tell stories about themselves and their lives. I would have liked to have seen numbers from more than just Sondheim. There are great numbers from Mack and Mabel by Jerry Herman — both “I Won’t Send Roses” or “Wherever He Ain’t” (I particularly like Mack and Mabel — I last saw Ms. Peters in that show at the LA Civic Light Opera in 1974). There are numbers from The Goodbye Girl. There are numbers from Dames at Sea. She was in all three. She could do great with some of the numbers from A Bakers Wife. Much as I love Sondheim and his talent, I would have appreciated a show more varied.
Again, I’m not saying the show was bad. It just wasn’t the “over the top” show I expected.
VPAC 2012-2013. VPAC has just announced their 2012-2013 season. A number of shows are of interest: Chick Corea and Gary Burton (Saturday, 10/6/12); Raul Esparza sings Sondheim (Saturday, 11/17/12); An Evening with Judy Collins (Friday, 12/21/12); An Evening With Branford Marsalis (Saturday, 2/2/13); Bebe Neuwirth: Stories with Piano (Satuday, 2/23/13); The Pipes and Drums of the Black Watch (Friday, 3/1/13). Single tickets go on sale June 6, 2012.
Upcoming Theatre, Concerts, and Dance: Next week sees us at Van Nuys HS for the final performance of their production of “How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying”. March continues with “American Idiot” at the Ahmanson, and “Journey’s End” at REP East. March will conclude with Tom Paxton in concert at McCabes on 3/31. Continuing the look ahead, April will bring “Billy Elliot” at the Pantages, the Southern California Renaissance Faire, “Once Upon a Mattress” at Cabrillo, and “Dames at Sea” at the Colony. May will bring “The Great American Trailer Park Musical” at REP East, the senior dance show at Van Nuys HS, and may bring “Heiress” at the Pasadena Playhouse, “Follies” at the Ahmanson, and the Spring Railfestival at Orange Empire Railway Museum. As always, open dates are subject to be filled in with productions that have yet to appear on the RADAR of Goldstar or LA Stage Alliance.
Music: Spices (Pierre Bensusan): The Last Pint
