Losing My Mind {Follies ~ Broadway, 2011} - Bernadette Peters

[@chickachickabombom]

In her acting book, Uta Hagen mentions how if you put a cat onstage, however far from the focus of the scene, the audience will always be drawn to watch the cat and not the action-- because the cat is not scripted, it will do things we may not expect it to. She encourages actors to embrace the aspect of performance that allows them to behave unexpectedly and therefore naturally. I totally see what you are talking about with Bernadette, she is just like a cat.

[@JayMarcus-j1i]

No one does it better!

[@mosshart21]

last note is like a silent cry, a soft & melodic scream of distress that makes me clench right there with her. so hard to watch for all the right reasons. love you bernadette.

[@jaymarcusnyc1]

Her performance was so amazing - it made a woman who in previous versions one just wrote off as crazy into someone who is real and really hurting. Brilliant - She deserves the Tony!

[@ffandbffan]

I had the pleasure of seeing her perform this at the opening night of the Boston Pops. She went directly into it from "In Buddy's Eyes," and afterwards the audience went mad. I think people applauded more than at the end of the concert. Truly a stunning, heart wrenching performance, and proves that if anything Bernadette has only gotten more nuanced and emotional with age. Brilliant.

[@ChrisRandomSinger]

The more I see this, the more I fall in love with it. Thank God for close ups. It really makes a huge difference. You can see every nuanced bit of hurt in her face. Beautiful. This and "In Buddy's Eyes" were her highlights from the show. She made some odd acting choices here and there, but these two moments were glorious!

[@willwalker24601]

Wow... she was 63 when that was taken😱

[@circlenostar]

By far the best interpretation of this song I've ever seen.

[@rsmiraldiable]

I loved this play. I think Bernadette truly captures the character of Sally Durant. You are there, right with her. My favorite line is when she says, "I left the dishes in the sink. I didn't do the dishes. What do I do now?" When she realized that the man she's pined for all these years, isn't going to rescue her from her bad marriage or suburban life. The plight of the 1970s housewife.

[@jethrocraig8472]

I was lucky enough to see this on Broadway...front row! What a fantastic performance and what a fantastic show. The entire cast was phenomenal. Bernadette was amazing as always. I met her after the show (second time...lucky me) and after we left I cried...LOL. So silly. In my book she is the most amazing actress, singer, entertainer, etc. #1. I've seen her in 5 Broadway productions and in concert and I wish I'd seen more. I'm just waiting for her next Broadway production.

[@ameliacelestem.7800]

Jethro Craig did you get to see your during her run in Hello Dolly this summer?? IT WAS A DREAM!

[@kyokohitsuji]

Tears. Every time. Bernadette is just EVERYTHING!

[@kalmusc]

Love her performance of this song. Love it. Great job.

[@jeffbassin630]

I can't imagine the negative comments made by some of the viewers of this video. Bernadette Peters sang this brilliantly. There is another version where she sings with less emoting. Critics should listen to this version. I think it's at Oliver Awards, but not positive. Looks around and the critics will find this brilliant version.

[@Goomgam]

You know who sings this 10 times better than Bernadette Peters in "Follies"? Bernadette Peters in concert. Saw twice in Follies -- loved the performance. But when I heard her sing it later with the San Francisco Symphony, I was absolutely blow away. In concert, she sings it back-to-back with "In Buddy's Eyes" and the emotionality is overwhelming.

[@michaelwilliamybarra2409]

I'm not one who assumes too quickly often but are you just saying that she's a challenge to herself or something different? Also, did that concert you mentioned come before or after "Follies"?

[@caitlynsway7073]

I saw her live a few months ago and she did this then went right into "Send in The Clowns". Needless to say everyone was an emotional wreck by the end of it. She just really knows how to emotionally connect with a song.

[@caseyjay231]

what a heart-wrenching rendition!

[@fadhilramadhani1847]

Bernadette is so amazing and damn mama SO STUNNING!

[@phylad]

everyone was right... she still looks fabulous... and the voice is lovely too

[@EscuadronUnicornio-r8p]

She was actually dealing with the loss of her husband who died tragically in a helicopter accident, she still sang it beautifully according to me

[@Gaffahead]

Ugh! It pisses me that she (as well as Elaine Paige) wasn't nominated for a Tony! For shame!

[@KateBushDepot]

THIS! Couldn't have said it better myself. ;)

[@MrPoochsmooch]

She'd make a great Norma Desmond

[@bulldawg941]

Must be nice to age backward Bernadette.

[@ernestok10]

I wil try to answer your doubt, but my english is so bad. So, I hope you understand. What Bernadette is doing in that tone, is starting that in the chest placement, and then continues with the same note putting it in the head/chest placement, or in the (like Italian says) "passagio" placement, and that gives you the effect that she is making a higher sound, but is the same tone in the same octave, but with different harmonics.... And yes, is a beautifull effect.... She is amazing!

[@WylieWatson]

I was about to make a snarky comment comparing Bernadette (unfavourably) to Dorothy Collins. Glad I stuck with this to the end, though, as that was a great performance.

[@PoseidonRM]

Exactly. I almost did the same. Glad I saw your comment to encourage me to "wait for it".

[@Gaffahead]

Some people prefer to revisit those magical moments on video, that's all. I would've done the same thing myself instead of relying on memory, which won't be completely reliable give or take a few years. And btw, the person who recorded this (major respect to him/her) have probably seen the production more than once. ;)

[@lufahr843]

I came here because of Benoit Blanc singing this in Knives Out (exactly this version of Bernadette). Now I understand why

[@ColdenLamb]

I love this! Thanks so much for posting this! Do you have clips from other parts of this performance?

[@KateBushDepot]

Furthermore, cast recordings take away all of the excitement of watching/listening to a live performance. Part of me feels strongly that they should release a live soundboard audio instead of an OCR but as we all know, there is this thing called "Equity" which tends to get in the way of everything...

[@KateBushDepot]

@violinist391 It's one of the things I like about Bernadette's performances. She's highly unpredictable. I dunno but sometimes I feel like I just can't tell what she's gonna do next and yet she simply amazes you nonetheless. A mark of a great actress methinks. ;)

[@yeahimmel]

@violinist391 She is not an octave lower or higher, she just starts in a belt and goes to her head voice and gets softer. It is not a hard technique.

[@violinist391]

ok. Seriously. at the 4:00 ish mark. "you said you loved MEEeeeeeee" HOW DOES SHE SING THAT "ME"?!?! It's like, she sings two notes at once, She mind-f*cks you into thinking she's gonna sing it low, then out of NOWHERE she's an octave higher. I can't process how she does it.

[@christophercobb249]

Start with a belt, shift to head voice. It's not terribly difficult for a professional singer to do, but she does it effectively here.

[@JIA1122]

Fiyero~~~

[@iluvmusicals21]

I wonder if she is thinking of her husband that died tragically?

[@thomasduplessie]

It's not an octave jump, she's just switching to her head voice.

[@Loejyrrab]

Maybe so, but it can go wrong in a flash.

[@regress-c3t]

I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I think she fucked this one up. She's a legend though.

[@alohaisland9999]

I personally find that she drags this song out a little too much, every note is a little too long and feels less like a woman falling apart in front of you and more like a woman slowly unraveling to an unsatisfying conclusion. not to say her acting isn't great but Losing my Mind is just that, a woman losing her mind and Bernadette feels a little too calculated in this production. this production of Follies was such an emotional rollercoaster for many of the characters and everything was very intense and this number really fails to illustrate Sally's pain and suffering that she's pushed aside for years and years of never quite getting over an unrequited love.

[@franciscoocampo955]

sadly bernadette is not at her best in this production, for me she fails to catch the character, and therefore her performance was greatly lacking, if you look at julia mckenzies performance the character is well formed and she also sang losing my mind with great feeling. its a shame for bernadetter peters has produced some wonderful work.

[@dirkandi]

What are you talking about?? 😂😂😂 Just because you didn't get her portrayal? She's phenomenal!!

[@riverlea2559]

I do not trust your judgement on literally anything. Even if I love somebody as I do Bernadette, I will be the first to say when they weren’t the best, but this was a heart wrenching performance. He sang it differently then many others. Most others portray Sally as crazy during this, but she portrayed her as hurt and grieving in a way.

[@valentine5051]

I think she starts this with too much drama/energy

[@DJLRRT]

videoing your tv, you fail!

[@teeniebeenie8774]

never quite got her appeal. like an old doll....bless her hear tho , she does try.

[@paulbratter]

why do people these days feel the need to RECORD everything??!! The poor loser who was fiddling with their camera to capture this LOST OUT on sitting back, without a camera, and just letting Bernadette work her magic. I say, STOP trying to record things and just enjoy the moment, live.

[@Dan_G.R.S.]

Replying to an almost decade old comment, but if this wasn't recorded YOU and thousands more would never see this footage

[@gmsoyls]

the musical line and pitch suffer because shes overacting. balance, bernie, balnace.

[@0discardedMenace0]

agreed. she really punches some stuff should be smoother because of her acting.

[@kevhippo]

Didn't like this. Sounds like the timing is out. Think she has taken too many liberties with the song.