We saw Sandra Bernhard’s new live show, Everything Bad & Beautiful at the Silent Movie Theatre in Hollywood last night.
She’s at the top of her craft, Mz. Bernhard, that craft being a unique Vulcan mind meld of comedy and music. Less cabaret and more pop/rock this time around, she sang songs by Bob Dylan, Prince and Lita Ford (Lita Ford?! yes! a funky version of Kiss Me Deadly), among others, backed up by a tight three piece band and a back up singer (“Who is also my makeup artist, so I get a two-fer!”).
If you have fond memories of Bernhard on the old 12:30 David Letterman show, you won’t see the same kind of wild, off-the-cuff comedy, but more of a monologue (still very, very funny) with music interspersed. She’s been doing these kind of shows for years, and she’s got it down to an extremely entertaining science. Her singing is better than ever (odd thing to say about a comedian, I know, but she’s not a typical comedian), and Everything Bad & Beautiful is definitely her best show yet.
It’s running through the 25th, so if you’re in LA you still have a chance to see the previews at the Silent Movie. It’s a small joint, and a great place to see something like this, so go deh!
After the show we stopped at Jerry’s deli, where we met with the usual clueless, inept and uninterested wait staff, and the usual delicious grub. The giant piece of chocolate cheesecake was just too much though, so we brought it home in a brown paper bag and ate it while watching The Simpsons from the comfort of our couch.
Yes, it’s hard to keep up such a high-voltage rock and roll lifestyle, but we do it somehow.