Sondheim & Peters: Two-Heart Harmony

The music of Stephen Sondheim is particularly suited to Bernadette Peters. The actress-singer, long a Sondheim devotee, is a natural for the emotions that populate Sondheim’s songs, and she conveys his interest in matters of the heart, both glad and gloomy, with theatrical conviction.

Sondheim’s music--and music from other composers in the Sondheim model--played a strong role in Peters’ appearance Friday, the first night of a two-night engagement with the Pacific Symphony at the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

But though Peters proved adept at conveying the often touchy-feely, free-to-be-me sentiments in Sondheim numbers, she often was better served by music from the Great American Songbook, or even a novelty number such as “Glow Worm.” When it came to Sondheim, her voice often transcended the material.

Ever the actress, Peters worked from three personas. There was her fetching Betty Boop-inspired delivery on “Sooner or Later,” sung by Madonna in the movie “Dick Tracy.” There was her forthright, Ethel Merman-powered assertiveness, as heard on “Broadway Baby.” The third voice, her most effective, was direct and honest, with little theatricality.

This third voice is the one she employed to great effect on such serious Sondheim pieces as “No One Is Alone” and “Children Will Listen.” It carried all the emotion the lyrics required and contained a sincerity that went a long way toward making the songs come alive.

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Peters, known for her comic abilities, also provided plenty of funny moments. She opened the show with “We’re in the Money,” then tossed the audience coin-sized copper foil while singing “Pennies From Heaven.” She used a flashlight to give herself a tail for “Glow Worm.” Reclining on the piano, she plumped a pillow and got really comfortable during “Sooner or Later.”

Sondheim’s melodies aren’t exactly catchy, yet Peters moved through even the most difficult with a confident familiarity. Though she just celebrated her 50th birthday, her voice continues to be strong, and she continually found pitch with clear, high tones.

Peters had the strength to stand against the orchestra even during its most dynamic moments, though her voice at such loud volumes was ill-served by the amplification. There was some graininess to her tones as the show progressed (a between-songs cough became apparent, hinting at a cold), but Peters seemed able to push through the roughness.

Though the orchestra, under the direction of Peters’ musical director Marvin Laird, provided strong brass and string accompaniment, it also furnished more subtle, less complex backing to equally good effect. “No One Is Alone” gained delicacy from its cello-and-piano framework. Laird’s piano-only accompaniment on “Faithless Love” allowed the unpretentious beauty of Peters’ voice to shine.

Sondheim’s name surfaced during the first half of the evening too, when guest conductor David Bishop introduced the orchestra’s performances of the overture from “Gypsy” (in which Sondheim collaborated with Jule Styne) and three dance pieces from Leonard Bernstein’s “On the Town” (Sondheim wrote the lyrics for Bernstein’s “West Side Story). The orchestra’s string section proved particularly graceful during Johann Strauss’ overture to “Die Fledermaus.”