“An Evening with Bernadette Peters,” three-time Tony Award recipient, Golden Globe winner, and Emmy and Grammy nominee, will take the stage at Westport Country Playhouse on Sunday, May 19, at 7 p.m. The magical and inspiring evening of songs will feature music from Rodgers and Hammerstein, Stephen Sondheim, Jerry Herman, and others.

“There are few stage performers as legendary and beloved as Bernadette Peters, and we can’t wait to welcome her back to our stage,” said Mark Shanahan, Westport Country Playhouse artistic director. “This very special night, generously underwritten in support of the Playhouse, promises an unforgettable and intimate evening with one of the greatest Broadway talents of all time.”

Best known for her work on stage and one of Broadway’s most critically acclaimed performers, Peters just concluded a highly successful West End debut in the Cameron Mackintosh production of “Old Friends,” celebrating the life and work of Stephen Sondheim. The show will come to Broadway in spring 2025. Prior to that, she starred as Dolly Gallagher Levi in the hit musical, “Hello, Dolly!” She also starred in City Center’s Encores! “A Bed and a Chair: A New York Love Affair,” featuring the music of Stephen Sondheim and orchestrations by Wynton Marsalis, and on Broadway in “A Little Night Music” and “Follies.”

Peters garnered both the Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for her performance in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, “Song and Dance.” She also won a Tony Award for her performance in “Annie Get Your Gun.” She received Tony nominations for her outstanding performances in Sam Mendes’ critically acclaimed revival of “Gypsy,” in Neil Simon’s “The Goodbye Girl,” Stephen Sondheim’s Pulitzer Prize-winning musical “Sunday in the Park with George,” the Jerry Herman/Gower Champion ode to the movies, “Mack and Mabel,” and the Leonard Bernstein/Comden and Green musical “On The Town.” In addition to these honors, Peters earned a Drama Desk nomination for her unforgettable portrayal of the Witch in Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods.”  In 2012, Peters received the Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award for her non-profit organization, Broadway Barks.

Peters also enjoys a career which boasts an impressive list of television credits, including the Apple TV+ series, “High Desert,” and a guest-starring role on the NBC-TV series, “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist,” for which she earned an Emmy nomination. The popular series was made into a TV movie musical titled “Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas” for The Roku Channel. Other TV appearances include The CW’s “Katy Keene”; CBS All Access’ “The Good Fight”; Amazon Prime’s Golden Globe-winning series, “Mozart in the Jungle”; and NBC-TV’s “Smash.”

Peters has lit up the silver screen in over 30 films throughout her distinguished career, including winning a Golden Globe Award for her performance in “Pennies from Heaven.” Other film credits include “The ****,” “The Longest Yard,” “Silent Movie,” “Annie,” “Pink Cadillac,” “Slaves of New York,” Woody Allen’s “Alice,” “Impromptu,” “It Runs in the Family,” “Coming Up Roses,” “The Broken Hearts Gallery,” and most recently, a surprise appearance in the popular Jonathan Larson biopic, “tick, tick…BOOM!”

Peters first appeared at the Playhouse in 1966, in the musical “Riverwind,” starring Lisa Kirk and Robert Alda. In 2008, she returned to present a special tribute to Angela Lansbury at the Playhouse’s fall fundraising gala, “Footlights and Film:  A Celebration of the Great Musicals from Stage and Screen.” At the Playhouse’s 2011 annual gala, “Playing Our Songs:  Celebrating 80 Years of Musical Theater,” Peters was honored with the Playhouse’s Award for Distinguished Dedication and Service to the American Musical Theater.

When: Sunday, May 19, 2024 at 7 p.m.

Where: Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport.

Tickets for “An Evening with Bernadette Peters” are $175 and $250. Event Sponsors are Roz and Bud Siegel. Event Partners are Jonathan and Sara Gaynes Levy. 2024 Media Sponsors are Moffly Media and WSHU Public Radio. Westport Country Playhouse is a 501(c)(3) organization. All proceeds from this fundraising event will support the non-profit, professional, producing theater - its work on stage, with schools, and throughout the community. 

All audience members are invited to meet and mingle together at a post-performance party.

For full details, visit: https://www.westportplayhouse.org/show/an-evening-with-bernadette-peters/ 

A complete schedule of Playhouse events is available at westportplayhouse.org. All play titles, artists, dates, and times are subject to change.

For Westport Country Playhouse information and tickets, visit www.westportplayhouse.org or call the box office at (203) 227-4177, toll-free at 1-888-927-7529.