Delightfully rough around the edges
For a woman who has maintained a home in the Valley for going on two decades, Sandra Bernhard’s Southland club dates have been all too rare in recent years, making this week’s five-night engagement at Feinstein’s at the Cinegrill a must-see opportunity for fans of the quirky comedian-actress-singer.
Bernhard is touring with a bare-bones production labeled “a work in progress,†and while that tag can send up a red flag where some artists are concerned, Bernhard delivered 95 minutes of high-wire intensity Wednesday night, regaling the adoring, near-capacity house with stories, songs and some world-class sniping.
To be sure, there were a couple of raps that tailed off instead of biting down, leaving her glancing down at the sheaf of papers arranged on a music stand. But as anyone who has seen her stand-up act or listened to her wicked riffing on Howard Stern’s radio show knows, Bernhard seems to draw energy from such potentially white-knuckle moments, and so a few seconds later she was off and running again.
Like much of Bernhard’s material through the years, the current work mines her personal history, manifesting itself in extended anecdotes and several touching yet painfully funny original songs delivered with nuance and power. Backed by piano and guitar, Bernhard revisited the early years in Flint, Mich., and high school experiences in Arizona that cemented her outsider persona.
There were also scathing tirades against the Bush administration, gentler volleys targeting Canada and Jane Seymour, and a pithy assessment of a rocky Colorado gig (“I was in Denver recently performing for a bunch of mall walkersâ€).
A pair of sensuous fantasy interludes involving Marilyn Monroe and Britney Spears were classic Bernhard.
When she tore off her blouse for the encore (revealing a camouflage bra) to deliver a soaring medley of covers including 4 Non Blondes’ “What’s Up†and Prince’s “Little Red Corvette,†the pop-culture tour was completed to work-in-progress perfection.
As Bernhard put it near the end of the show, “Inspiration comes from the craziest places.†But in her hands, they’re all the right places.
*
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Sandra Bernhard
Where: Feinstein’s at the Cinegrill, Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, 7000 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood
When: Today-Saturday, 8:30 p.m
Ends: Saturday
Price: $35, plus $30 food-drink minimum
Contact: (323) 769-7269
Running time: 95 minutes
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