BERNADETTE
I first met Bernadette Peters when we were both in a production of "The Boy Friend" (With Yvonne de Carlo) at the Wedgewood Dinner Theater in Glen Cove, Long Island.
She had previously been a child performer starting at the age of three on the TV show "Juvenile Jury" and went on to many other venues of the day (She did "Name that Tune" when she was five.) And there are many other credits, I could relate.
So, she was a seasoned performer when we met.
Almost every night, after the performance of "The Boy Friend," and before we started the trek back into the city, a bunch of us would retire into the bar, where Bernadette would usually sing a number or two with the pianist. She was remarkable. She would turn a song like "You made me love you" into a soulful agony with tears streaming down her face as she neared the end. Just remarkable.
Soon after she was doing "George M" on Broadway and "Dames at Sea' off-Broadway.
In 1971, I had written a musical, "Nevertheless, They Laugh," that was tapped for a limited run (one week only) at the Lamb's Club in NYC. It was based on a Russian play named "He Who Gets Slapped." by Leonid Andreyev about a clown and the trapeze artist he falls in love with. Luckily, Bernadette agreed to do it along with David Holliday (below). And it was a lovely show.
Then, something happened. Bernadette met a guru of sorts named Oric Bovar and he changed her life. He told her in so many words that she must give up her old friends and concentrate on her image as a sex symbol if she wanted to achieve true stardom. For some reason, she bought it. And it worked, I guess. My friend walked out of my life.
(As a side note, Bovar was arrested eventually for health violations, he and some disciples watched over a dead body in his apartment for weeks in the belief that Bovar could resurrect him. When he was faced with a court date, he jumped out of a window, planning to resurrect himself. By that time, Bernadette had jumped ship and the guru was no more.)
So, I am left with memories of a rising star who went on to attain her long-time dream. And happily, I am also left with this picture........ But I miss that girl I once knew.
She had previously been a child performer starting at the age of three on the TV show "Juvenile Jury" and went on to many other venues of the day (She did "Name that Tune" when she was five.) And there are many other credits, I could relate.
So, she was a seasoned performer when we met.
Almost every night, after the performance of "The Boy Friend," and before we started the trek back into the city, a bunch of us would retire into the bar, where Bernadette would usually sing a number or two with the pianist. She was remarkable. She would turn a song like "You made me love you" into a soulful agony with tears streaming down her face as she neared the end. Just remarkable.
Soon after she was doing "George M" on Broadway and "Dames at Sea' off-Broadway.
In 1971, I had written a musical, "Nevertheless, They Laugh," that was tapped for a limited run (one week only) at the Lamb's Club in NYC. It was based on a Russian play named "He Who Gets Slapped." by Leonid Andreyev about a clown and the trapeze artist he falls in love with. Luckily, Bernadette agreed to do it along with David Holliday (below). And it was a lovely show.
Then, something happened. Bernadette met a guru of sorts named Oric Bovar and he changed her life. He told her in so many words that she must give up her old friends and concentrate on her image as a sex symbol if she wanted to achieve true stardom. For some reason, she bought it. And it worked, I guess. My friend walked out of my life.
(As a side note, Bovar was arrested eventually for health violations, he and some disciples watched over a dead body in his apartment for weeks in the belief that Bovar could resurrect him. When he was faced with a court date, he jumped out of a window, planning to resurrect himself. By that time, Bernadette had jumped ship and the guru was no more.)
So, I am left with memories of a rising star who went on to attain her long-time dream. And happily, I am also left with this picture........ But I miss that girl I once knew.
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