In 1968, Peters won a Theatre World citation for her performance in +George M!; that same year, she also garnered a Drama Desk Award for her comedic turn in the off-Broadway spoof +Dames at Sea. During the late '60s and early '70s, however, she suffered a series of theatrical disappointments, among them productions of +On the Town, +La Strada, +W.C., and +Mack and Mabel; as a result, by the mid-'70s she was also regularly appearing in film and television roles. Peters' Hollywood breakthrough arrived in 1979 opposite co-star Steve Martin in #The Jerk; two years later, they reunited for the fascinating flop #Pennies from Heaven.
Returning to Broadway, she reached new peaks of success as the star of a pair of Stephen Sondheim musicals, 1984's +Sunday in the Park with George and 1987's +Into the Woods; for her work in Andrew Lloyd Webber's +Song and Dance, Peters earned a Tony Award. During the late '80s, she mounted a hit cabaret act, which focused largely on show tunes but also included an effective cover of Hank Williams' I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry. After a disappointing return to Hollywood, Peters reappeared on Broadway in 1993, starring in +The Goodbye Girl; however, the show closed after less than 200 performances. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi