Bernadette Peters with the Utah Symphony

I cannot believe that I actually got to see the incredible Bernadette Peters perform with the Utah Symphony last night!  It is a concert that I will not soon forget because it was basically a love letter to Broadway, especially for fans of Stephen Sondheim!  The first half of the concert featured the orchestra under the baton of Lee Mills.  They performed Cole Porter Salute, Three Dance Episodes from On the Town by Leonard Bernstein, and Salute to the Big Bands and I enjoyed these pieces very much.  After the intermission, Bernadette Peters took the stage with her music director Joseph Thalken and began with "Old Friends" from the musical Merrily We Roll Along and continued with "No One Is Alone" from another Sondheim musical, Into the Woods.  Then she performed incredibly sultry versions of "There Is Nothing Like a Dame" from South Pacific (which involved quite a bit of flirting with one of the cello players) and "Fever" (while reclining on top of the piano).  She talked about listening to her parents' Rodgers & Hammerstein records when she was young and said that her favorite was Carousel before singing a lovely version of "(When I Marry) Mister Snow" from the show and then the Rodgers & Hammerstein song "It Might As Well Be Spring" from the movie State Fair.  She returned to the music of Sondheim by singing "In Buddy's Eyes" and "Losing My Mind" from Follies, "Johanna" from Sweeney Todd, and "Children Will Listen" from Into the Woods.  She recently starred as Dolly Levi in Hello, Dolly! on Broadway and gave a poignant performance of "Before the Parade Passes By" and a really playful performance of "So Long Dearie."  Her emotional rendition of "Send in the Clowns" from A Little Night Music by Sondheim was definitely the highlight of the concert for me because it was absolutely amazing and gave me goosebumps!  Her final number, "Being Alive" from Company by Sondheim, was equally amazing and prompted an enthusiastic standing ovation!  She returned to the stage to perform "Kramer's Song," a lullaby she wrote for her charity Broadway Barks, as an encore.  To say that I loved this concert would be an understatement and I am so glad that I got to see this Broadway legend!  She will be back with the Utah Symphony again tonight (go here for tickets) and I highly recommend getting a ticket!