The 1918 influenza pandemic

Bernadette Peters (née Lazzara; born February 28, 1948) is an American actress and singer. Over a career spanning more than six decades, she has starred in musical theatre, television and film, performed in solo concerts and released recordings. She is a critically acclaimed Broadway performer, having received seven nominations for Tony Awards, winning two (plus an honorary award), and nine Drama Desk Award nominations, winning three. Four of the Broadway cast albums on which she has starred have won Grammy Awards. According to a 1999 New York Times profile, Peters is "considered by many to be the premier interpreter" of the works of Stephen Sondheim.