Comedy Review: Sandra Bernhard

My companions and I arrived at the Sandra Bernhard show, primed for comedy, but we were disappointed by the mix of mediocre stand-up and pop songs.

By KEREN LERNER
sandra bernhard 88 (photo credit: )
sandra bernhard 88
(photo credit: )
Sandra Bernhard The Prodigal Daughter Returns Holon Women's Festival Holon Theater February 27 My companions and I arrived at the Sandra Bernhard show on Friday night in good spirits, primed for comedy. But we were disappointed by the mix of mediocre stand-up and pop songs. Some of the songs were saucily tongue-in-cheek, but most, chosen seemingly at random from '80s and '90s hits, were merely included to showcase Bernhard's admittedly pleasant voice. The routine seemed a bit disjointed and, at several points, I stifled a yawn. Bernhard opened the show with mostly stale jokes about haredim on her El Al flight (they smell and their hats are funny, har-dee-har). She then mocked a new perfume by Antonio Banderas, giving herself two ladylike shpritzes on the décolletage and wrist, followed by a third in a place much less ladylike, after which she contorted her face as if to say, "that stings!" She'd done her research and knew her audience, decorating her sentences with Hebrew words delivered ironically in a heavy American accent. At one point, she chided her piano player for rushing the music, telling the audience that "Mitchy wants to hurry so he can go hang out at Evita" (a popular watering hole serving Tel Aviv's gay community). Bernhard is obviously a born performer, with a stage presence that's almost overwhelming. But I'd rather see her stick to the witty and acute social commentary that has made me a fan; I can listen to Prince's Red Corvette on the radio anytime.