From Dot to Dolly: Revisiting the Stage Work of Bernadette Peters

From Dot to Dolly: Revisiting the Stage Work of Bernadette Peters
The Tony-winning actor celebrates her birthday February 28.
Stage and screen star Bernadette Peters celebrates her birthday February 28.
Peters made her New York theatrical debut at the age of ten, playing the role of Tessie in a City Center revival of The Most Happy Fella. She won Tony Awards for her performances in musicals by Andrew Lloyd Webber (Song & Dance) and Irving Berlin (a revival of Annie Get Your Gun), and has also created leading roles in musicals by Jerry Herman (Mack & Mabel) and Marvin Hamlisch (The Goodbye Girl). Peters is, perhaps, most associated with the work of Stephen Sondheim, having offered performances in five Broadway musicals that boast lyrics and/or music by Sondheim: model/mistress Dot in Sunday in the Park with George, the Witch in Into the Woods, the indomitable stage mother Rose in Gypsy, the captivating Desiree Armfeldt in A Little Night Music, and Sally Plummer Durant in Follies.
Peters was most recently seen on Broadway as Dolly Levi in the Tony-winning revival of Hello, Dolly! at the Shubert Theatre.
In honor of the musical theatre luminary, look back at highlights from her stage career.
From Dot to Dolly: Celebrating the Stage Work of Bernadette Peters

From Dot to Dolly: Celebrating the Stage Work of Bernadette Peters
45 PHOTOS
George M!, 1968″ data-bsp-lazyimage=”” data-lazy=”https://bsp-static.playbill.com/dims4/default/e285b0d/2147483647/resize/800×450%3E/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fpb-asset-replication.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fe1%2F9f%2F93aa5fa845b6aa7809bbeb185d86%2FGeorgeM3.jpg” data-url=”3″ src=”data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==”>
Joel Grey, Bernadette Peters, Betty Ann Grove, and Jerry Dodge in George M!, 1968
Friedman-Abeles
La Strada” data-bsp-lazyimage=”” data-lazy=”https://bsp-static.playbill.com/dims4/default/169e7bc/2147483647/resize/800×450/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fpb-asset-replication.s3.amazonaws.com%2F92%2Fe9%2F92d05438426097b60a73a7736bc6%2Fnypl.digitalcollections.a7f36720-2cf2-0130-d47d-58d385a7bbd0.001.w.jpg” data-url=”5″ src=”data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==”>
Bernadette Peters in La Strada, 1969
Friedman-Abeles / New York Public Library
On the Town” data-bsp-lazyimage=”” data-lazy=”https://bsp-static.playbill.com/dims4/default/88c8e13/2147483647/resize/800×450/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fpb-asset-replication.s3.amazonaws.com%2F21%2F98%2F401eae8249e182a71b5372fc4dc7%2Fon-the-town-broadway-1971-production-photo-3-hr.jpg” data-url=”7″ src=”data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==”>
Jess Richards and Bernadette Peters in On the Town, 1971
Friedman-Abeles/©NYPL for the Performing Arts
On the Town” data-bsp-lazyimage=”” data-lazy=”https://bsp-static.playbill.com/dims4/default/597f88c/2147483647/resize/800×450%3E/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fpb-asset-replication.s3.amazonaws.com%2F73%2Fee%2F5b8168e64d1c8e4da327815b5d2c%2Fon-the-town-broadway-1971-production-photo-2-hr.jpg” data-url=”9″ src=”data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==”>
Ron Husmann and Bernadette Peters in On the Town, 1971
Friedman-Abeles/©NYPL for the Performing Arts
Sally and Marsha” data-bsp-lazyimage=”” data-lazy=”https://bsp-static.playbill.com/dims4/default/fbdf6e6/2147483647/resize/800×450%3E/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fpb-asset-replication.s3.amazonaws.com%2F41%2Fb7%2F5cb44f1e424f9eae6f0fcc057068%2Fskm-c554e18011913081.jpg” data-url=”11″ src=”data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==”>
Bernadette Peters and Christine Baranski in Sally and Marsha, 1982
Gerry Goodstein