She’s been in show business for more than seven decades, performing on stage, in movies, and on television. Now, she's going to perform in Santa Barbara.
Bernadette Peters has been acting and singing since she was a child performer in the late 1950’s. This week, she’s in San Francisco shooting episodes of a Netflix series. Peters is flying to Santa Barbara Thursday to perform at the Granada Theater.
"It's all a gift. I had fun today shooting, and I'll have fun in Santa Barbara singing beautiful songs," said Peters.
She started her career on stage. But in the 1960s and 70s, she branched out to movies and television. She starred in films like the Mel Brooks comedy Silent Movie and in television shows like Mozart in the Jungle.
But she loved Broadway and was featured in hits like Into the Woods and The Goodbye Girl. She had a longtime friendship with Stephen Sondheim, the composer many credit with reinventing the American musical. She performs many of his songs in her solo shows.
"I really love singing his words and music," said Peters. "I would call him after I finished a concert series on the road, and I'd thank him for giving me so much to sing about, so many ideas, so many feelings. He had a song for every moment, and every occasion. Some make you think, and some make you feel good."
Peters has been doing her solo shows for three decades. She talked about the music she likes to bring to audiences.
"I sing some Sondheim, I sing some Jerry Herman. I know I am there to entertain and hopefully everyone will go on this journey with me and feel musically satisfied," said Peters.
She’s excited about the Netflix series she’s shooting in San Francisco, A Man on the Inside. It’s the third and final season for the comedy, which stars Ted Danson as a retired college professor who’s started a second career as a private investigator. In the episodes currently being filmed, Peters plays the queen of San Francisco society who needs Danson’s help in finding out who is sabotaging her philanthropic work.
"I go where the writing is good," said Peters. "It's wonderful to do things that are uplifting and fun. It's something good to do and put out in the world right now when there's a lot of troubling things happening."
The UCSB Arts and Lectures event begins at 7:30 Thursday night, at Santa Barbara’s Granada Theater.
