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Sandra Bernhard

May 10, 2008

Venue: The Opera House
Date Reviewed: 10th May, 2008

star

Comedienne, Sandra Bernhard kicked off the Queer Up North festival with real flashes of brilliance. It’s a shame then that many members of the audience did not warm to her, because this meant that some parts of the evening had a really stilted feel, as a result.

Opening act, Tina C had a much easier ride, as her ‘camp as Christmas’ act has universal gay appeal, with a bit of satire thrown in for good measure. A cover version of Dolly Parton’s “Nine To Five” also meant that fans of the gay icon went home as happy as Jolene, herself.

But Bernhard’s act was harder for many people to buy into. It’s hard to describe, but imagine a cabaret act, reminscent of Meryl Streep’s Madeline Ashton from the cult film Death Becomes Her and this gives you some idea. Sandra spoofs musical theatre, does a rock-chick stint and fires barbed comments into the audience, like bullets from a machine gun.

“Manchester, it’s been too long” she says. In fact it’s been never.” comes the waspy punchline. She then launches into an assault of many gay faves, including old friend Madonna by claiming she is not going to give the crowd “Hard Candy”- then criticises the Queen of Pop’s latest material. As disjointed as this all is, there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, including an imaginary meeting with Stevie Nicks, complete with chintz and tofu.

She makes some great points about gay life in 2008, claiming that now they have what they want after fighting for so long, they now crave to be different and flamboyant again. But judging by the silent reactions of some, her observations are too close to home and comedy fans, in general have become used to non-stop jokes, delivered to order rather than a fully fledged show. Therefore, this style of comedy, however quaint is bound to bore some.

I particularly enjoyed her songs, like the brilliantly accerbic wit of “Undressed.” But many of her targets are American celebs, which mean nothing to the average Mancunian. The staid reaction though does breathe life into the gig, at one point, as Bernhard, clearly ticked off, launches into them, creating some of the show’s funniest off-the-cuff moments.

This mult-talented woman becomes a forceful hurricane when it becomes clear that many of the crowd are acting indifferently towards her. I think the problem is, that many had come to hear camp, but what they got was vamp. True, some of the material was overlong and the long pauses do become un-nerving after a while. But the real selling point is the fact that she does not really do stand-up by numbers, simply telling jokes and leaving the stage.

She challenges all those who pay to see her. For those who left before the end, they missed a blinding version of Prince’s hit song, “Little Red Corvette”, delivered in a tight pair of leather trousers! She may not have the same allure as she used to back in the day, but Sandra Bernhard still knows how to divide an audience and therefore, she remains impossible to ignore.

-Glenn Meads

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