Bernadette Peters stuns at Molloy Gala

Tony Award winning Broadway superstar Bernadette Peters headlined the Molloy College Annual Gala at the school’s Madison Theatre on Nov. 8.

Peters sang some of the best tunes from Broadway’s songbook, and was backed by a nine-piece orchestra under the direction of Marvin Laird. She performed for over an hour, delighting the crowd with a variety of standards, with a heavy emphasis on the works of Stephen Sondheim.

The event honored a host of distinguished supporters of the college, including Buddy and Chris Haunss, Joan Hope MacNaughton and Carole M. Gerrity ’60.

Throughout her illustrious career, Peters, the youngest person to be inducted into the Theatre Hall of Fame, has dazzled audiences and critics with her performances on stage, television, in concert, and on recordings. Most recently, Peters starred on Broadway in the critically acclaimed production of Follies, after a highly successful run at the Kennedy Center. Prior to that, she starred in the Tony Award-winning masterpiece A Little Night Music, opposite Elaine Stritch. Other Broadway credits include Sunday in the Park with George, Song and Dance, Into the Woods, Annie Get Your Gun and Gypsy, among others.

Peters also boasts an impressive list of television credits, including her recent guest appearance on NBC’s Smash, and has acted in 17 films. In addition to her work on the stage and behind the camera, she has been featured on numerous Grammy Award-winning Broadway cast albums, and has recorded six solo albums.

This year, Peters received her third Tony, The Isabelle Stevenson Award, acknowledging her charitable efforts. She devotes her time and talents to a number of events that benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and, along with actress Mary Tyler Moore, co-founded Broadway Barks!, an organization that promotes the adoption of shelter animals.