"For theater lovers there can be no greater current pleasure than to witness Bernadette Peters perform 'Send in the Clowns.' I'm not sure I've ever experienced with such palpable force—or such prominent goosebumps—the sense of being present at an indelible moment in the history of musical theater. Ms. Peters invests each brittle line with a full measure of feeling without losing the arc of the music or any of the delicate irony in the lyrics. Elaine Stritch brings to virtually every one Madame Armfeldt's lines a sharp, at times, excoriating wit. Nobody can outdo Ms. Stritch in the deployment of strategic pauses that attach powder kegs to seemingly sparkless lines. Explosions of laughter duly greet this dowager's rueful observations."
Charles Isherwood, The New York Times
"Talk about dream casting, enough to bring smiles to any summer night. This revival has become a must–see for fans of either Sondheim or these wonderful actresses, a category which hopefully includes anyone who loves musicals. Devotees of Stritch will revel in how the actress bring her famously salty, acerbic style to the role of Madame Armfeldt. Stritch bring a deadpan, current, bone–dry delivery to Madame Armfeldt's succinct pronouncements and to her big number 'Liaisons.' Impeccable comic timing. With her, you almost laugh before a line comes out: You know you're going to, so why not get a head start. Alexander Hanson is still excellent. Erin Davie is first–rate. Ramona Mallory sings winningly. Leigh Ann Larkin expertly sells her big number, 'The Miller's Son.' Peters and Stritch are making a welcome return. When Stritch sings of failing standards, one can't help extrapolating a bit. "Where is style?" she asks. "Where is skill? Where's passion in the art, where's craft?" Here's one place you can look: Right at her, onstage at the Walter Kerr Theatre."
Jocelyn Noveck, The Associated Press
"Peters and Stritch have transformed the entire show. It's a rare pleasure to watch an avalanche of mixed emotions flicker on Peters' face, to catch a sudden melancholy briefly cloud her gaze even as she unleashes her plentiful charms. Her 'Send in the Clowns' is one for the books, a masterpiece of interpretive finesse. Stritch is a hoot. She spits out her bon mots with acidic relish and turns 'Liaisons' into a mesmerizingly bizarre experience halfway between storytelling and performance art. Like a rising tide lifting all boats, the newcomers have inspired the original cast to raise its game. This is about presenting Sondheim's sorry–grateful, regretful–happy take on love, sex and marriage without pretenses or adornments—but with plenty of style and wit. How adult!"
Elisabeth Vincentelli, New York Post
"A triumph. Suddenly, this musical is aglow with brilliant and irresistible warmth. Peters simply soars with her heart–exposing version of 'Send in the Clowns' that shimmers with vulnerability. It's not to be missed. The same goes for Elaine Stritch. She's endlessly fascinating, salty, rueful and very funny."
Joe Dziemianowicz, Daily News
"Two galvanic Sondheim masters. Peters fits exquisitely into the skin of Desiree. She builds delicately and wittily on her own theater persona—a mature woman (in terrific voice) who knows when to recall and when to forget the old kewpie doll adorableness. Stritch is amazing—eccentric, poignant, hard–boiled. Impeccable rhythmic and emotional timing."
Linda Winer, Newsday
"Bravo bravo bravo! For theatre lovers, it doesn't get much better than this. Two beloved Broadway veterans doing what they do best, in a consummate production that sings its heart out. Mark it in memory. The performance by Bernadette Peters is the stuff of theatre legend. Understated and wrenching, she portrays Desiree Armfeldt with an effortlessness that suggests it's the part she was born to play. All her life's experiences seem to be encompassed in this virtuosic interpretation, climactically distilled in that one glorious song. Elaine Stritch crafts a balanced and deeply felt performance, revealing a touching vulnerability. The company, like a truly fine wine, has aged to perfection. This is a masterful work, masterfully performed. With an abundance of superlatives, A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC is rich indeed."
Roma Torre, NY1 News
"Peters and Stritch are sensational. They have given us a whole new take on this marvelous show. There's more laughs. If you saw the original revival and especially if you didn't, you
must run out and buy tickets today for a superb new cast. A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC now will make your day as well as your night."
David Richardson, WOR Radio
"Bernadette Peters has never had a role that suited her quite so superbly as her brilliant, joyful, irrepressible, humane and generous actress in this, Stephen Sondheim's very best work. Many have been entertaining in the role, but none come up to Bernadette who is perfect. Elaine Stritch is a national treasure, a comic genius. She is both beautiful and overwhelmingly funny. This is a once–in–a–lifetime event. The entire production is divine. The music is divine. The costumes. Every role is filled out to perfection. I have seldom seen anything so sweet and true on the stage, but now I have. Don't miss Stritch and Peters. This is a joyful event. Never has adultery seems so pleasing and important."
Liz Smith, wowowow.com: The Women on the Web
"Peters continues to be the ageless, adorable living doll we treasure. Stritch is both actress and personality, and her highly idiosyncratic gestures, intonations and pauses add a comically offbeat subtext to the role. Nunn's staging is subtly incisive."
John Simon, Bloomberg.com
"A revelation. What a night! Beautiful and deep and full of feeling—but also enormously funny and suffused with wisdom. Deliciously flawed and human characters. Elaine Stritch delivers the character's juicy and plentiful one–liners with peerless bite and panache. Along with some supremely comic moments are some profoundly stirring ones, none more so than Bernadette Peters's performance of 'Send in the Clowns.' One of the most moving moments of music–making I have ever experienced. There are too many great songs in this show to mention the highlights. The cast is superb. Alexander Hanson's winning presence and irresistible joie de vivre were a thing of wonder. The force of his spirit is indomitable."
Albert Imperato, The Huffington Post
"What a difference a diva makes. Bernadette Peters steps into A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC with a transfixing performance. Peters gives us a rich, warm and comedically human Desiree, which reaches full impact when she pierces the façade with a nakedly honest, tears–on–the–cheek 'Send in the Clowns.' Stritch wields a sharp comedic scalpel. She showed evidence of memory lapses, but the rest of her performance is sparklingly, devilishly good. Alexander Hanson is now a first–class leading man; he is now engaged in a delicious battle of acting chops. Aaron Lazar and Erin Davie have grown from sturdy to delicious."
Steven Suskin, Variety
"Without a doubt, one of Peters' finest stage performances. Impetuous, delicate, earthy, sardonic, willful, sensual, loving and shatteringly vulnerable, her Desiree is endlessly enchanting and completely believable. Watch what she does when she sings the line, 'Don't bother, they're here.' It doesn't get better than that. Stritch offers honest, psychologically acute acting married with the kind of razor–sharp timing that can only be attained through a lifetime of experience. Her ferocious concentration of energy explores into the theater every time she appears. The superb Alexander Hanson remains the best Fredrik I've ever seen, and he and Peters share delicious sexual chemistry. Is it worth a trip back? You bet."
Erik Haagense, Backstage
"Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch bring a whole new level to a show that demands a repeat visit. What was an undeniably moving experience has become even richer, filled with a humor that was lacking in its first incarnation. Peters and Stritch are beloved Broadway icons, and their performances here illustrate the reasons why. Peters infuses her turn with a warmth and charm that radiate over the footlights. She nails the dramatic and comedic aspects of the role with effortless grace. And she sings beautifully; her superb rendition of the classic 'Send in the Clowns' garners a huge and well–deserved ovation. Stritch generates huge laughs, well earned and strictly in character. Stritch seems more fully alive than almost everyone else onstage. And even at 84, she nails her one big number, 'Liaisons,' with the sort of show–stopping bravura that marked her classic 'The Ladies Who Lunch.' The supporting cast have hit the sweet spot in their performances. Hanson remains superb. But [the supporting cast] has gotten better, infusing their turns with a previously unmined humor. With their brilliant recasting, the show's producers have managed to infuse it with extraordinary new life."
Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter
"Simply stunning. These veteran actresses as giving extraordinary performances. Peters make a triumphal return. Nothing can confine Stritch's talent for taking a laugh line and phrasing it to reap two, three, four hefty guffaws. She gives a lesson in elaborating on the pith of a lyric without altering it."
David Finkle, Theatermania.com
