Tony winner Bernadette Peters chatted about Broadway Barks, which will take place on Saturday, July 9 in New York City.
Broadway Barks is back for its 24th annual dog and cat adoption event on Saturday, July 9. This marks its first in-person event in three years. “We are live again,” she said. “When the pandemic happened, we were doing it virtually, which in a way, allowed us to help shelters across the country, which I had been really wanting to do so in that respect we were able to help a lot more shelters outside of the tri-state area, so it worked out well.”
It was co-founded by Bernadette Peters and Mary Tyler Moore, and it features Broadway celebrities who use their star power to help find loving homes for animals in need from 25 participating NYC area shelters. This year’s event will be hosted by Peters and Sutton Foster, who currently stars in the Broadway revival of “The Music Man.” “I am excited to be with Sutton, she is a great animal lover. I just couldn’t be more thrilled,” she said.
She is drawn to this great cause for many reasons. “I have always been an animal lover,” she said. “I’ve always felt that our companion animals are really here to serve a greater purpose than we actually realize. I think that happened during the pandemic when people were so lonely, they saved a lot of lives. There were so many animals that were adopted during that time. My building was filled with animals.”
The event is produced by Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and will take place in Shubert Alley (located between 44th and 45th Streets, between Broadway and Eighth Avenues).
The Broadway Barks festivities will begin at 3 p.m. with a meet-and-greet with all of the adoptable pets. It will be followed by celebrity presentations of the adoptees from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Broadway Barks is free and open to the public. “It is such a great event and when the animals come, it is quite amazing since they are pure of heart. Come if you want to be uplifted. Dogs are very uplifting and it is very important to have them in our lives. It has become their event and they love it,” she said.
This year’s celebrities will include Myles Frost, Hugh Jackman, Jane Lynch, Randy Rainbow, Shoshanna Bean, Bobby Conte, John Dosset, Randy Graff, Shuler Hensley, James Jackson Jr., Donna Murphy, Jennifer Simard, Jason Veasey, Julie White, and Suzy Nakamura, among many others.
Broadway Barks will feature adoptable animals from the following New York City area animal shelters and adoption agencies including Abandoned Angels Cocker Spaniels Rescue Inc, Adopt A Boxer Rescue, AdvoCat Rescue, The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), Animal Care & Control (ACC), Anjellicle Cats Rescue, Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons, Bide-a-wee, Bobbi and the Strays, City Critters, Francis’s Friends Inc., The Humane Society of New York, Husky House, Linda’s Cat Assistance, Little Shelter, Long Island Bulldog, Metropolitan Maltese Rescue, Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League, Inc., Pet ResQ Inc., SaveKitty Foundation, SPCA of Westchester, Urban Cat League, Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue and 1 Love 4 Animals.
Recently, Peters paid a moving tribute to the late but great legendary composer Stephen Sondheim at the Tony Awards. “I felt very privileged to be able to be a part of it. I just wanted to sing a song that involved the intention that he meant when he wrote it. He wrote such important words and I was happy to honor him that way,” she said.
On her motivations as a performer, animal lover, and activist, she said, “Words are the most important thing for me when I perform: what’s on a page, what’s in a song, what is the character saying, and if it’s a story I want to tell. In my show, I sing so many Sondheim songs that are uplifting.”
She described the Stephen Sondheim shows as a career-defining moment for her since she was able to learn so much. “Also, it’s all about growth for me. How much more can I learn and how much better can I be?” she elaborated.
On the title of the current chapter of her life, Peters said, “Gratefulness.”
Throughout her respected career in the entertainment industry, she has been the recipient of multiple awards, which include three Tony Awards, three Drama Desk Awards, two Theatre World Awards, and even a Golden Globe Award. She also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. “Those are lovely,” she admitted. “Awards are not the end goal, but it is nice to be acknowledged by your peers and the industry. It is also very good publicity,” she said with a sweet laugh.
Regarding the key to longevity in the entertainment business, she said, “It’s about staying interested, and bringing life to your creativity.”
For young and aspiring actors, Peters said, “Find your own voice, and find how you feel about things. Don’t copy anyone. You are going to feel an emotion different from someone else and that makes you original. Keep allowing the ‘true you’ to come out.”
“The projects that I do allow me to learn the most about life, and explore a character in a song or a character in a play. As long as it’s well-written, you learn a lot,” she said.
The digital age
On being an artist in the digital age (at a time when social media and streaming are so prevalent), Peters said, “I have one foot in, one foot out. It seems to be very important so it’s nice to be able to thank the people that you work with and to let people know when important events and causes, such as Broadway Barks will be happening. It is also nice to be able to praise your fellow performers…all this is really wonderful.”
Peters listed Bryan Cranston, Al Pacino, Hugh Jackman, and Robert De Niro as her dream acting partners to someday work with. “I just worked with Patricia Arquette on a new Apple TV series. She is a dream,” Peters said.
On her definition of the word success, she explained, “Success is whatever it means to you, personally. To me, it’s to live a happy and peaceful life and to have concerns and feelings for others, as well as to be as considerate and kind as I can be. Also to enjoy the projects and come to them with a lot of love.”
For her dedicated fans, she said, “I would like to say ‘thank you’. Thank you for enjoying the work and I hope that some are inspired to go into the business, and simply thank you.”
To learn more about Broadway Barks, check out its official website.
