Did Critics Find Sandra Bernhard's New Show Beautiful?
Here is a sampling of what they had to say:
William Stevenson in his Broadway.com Review: "Considering the fact that Sandra Bernhard doesn't have a strong singing voice, she puts on a very lively concert in her new off-Broadway show, Everything Bad and Beautiful. Backed by a talented band called The Rebellious Jezebels, she belts out assorted rock and pop numbers with tremendous enthusiasm and varying degrees of musicality. Between songs she skewers politicians, politicians' wives and celebrities with her usual biting wit. It's an odd hybrid of concert and stand-up comedy, but somehow La Bernhard pulls it off."
Charles Isherwood of The New York Times: "Ms. Bernhard's concerts have been getting less structured and more casual over the years, and this may just be her most offhand yet… Ms. Bernhard has undeniably mellowed a bit over the years…. Still, even a softened Sandra Bernhard consists mostly of sharp angles, and it's probably also true that her large local following - largely gay, and a decade or so past the college years - has mellowed a bit, too. Her fans aren't likely to complain that Ms. Bernhard has not roused herself to offer them an electrifying, or even coherent, evening of new material. In any case, since new stars seem to be cut from just a few bolts of the same bland cloth these days, it's invigorating just to be in the presence, once again, of a true original."
Frank Scheck of The New York Post: "Featuring her usual mix of acerbic stand-up comedy and rock concert, this new show is unlikely to either dissuade longtime fans or make new converts. It's pretty much Bernhard as you've seen her before, interrupting her jaded observations on entertainment and political figures with impassioned, tongue-in-cheek renditions of songs… Domesticity hasn't entirely tamed her, as demonstrated by her onstage costume change and full-throated singing. Performing with an onstage band dubbed the Rebellious Jezebels, the 50-year-old Bernhard still has all the raucous energy of youth."
David Rooney of Variety: "People go to a Sandra Bernhard show for withering take-downs of celebrity-obsessed contemporary culture and conservative politics, not to share her blessings and newfound mellowness. OK, after the public humiliation of being romantically accessorized and then ditched by Madonna, she deserves a little happiness. But the rewards of motherhood, a stable long-term relationship and kabbalah-fueled serenity do not make for Electric Entertainment. Bring back the bile, please."
Justin Bergman of The Associated Press: "Neither time nor motherhood has tempered Sandra Bernhard…. Bernhard has a style that is largely inimitable. As such, she is able to cleverly and very humorously abuse a large spectrum of society without appearing withering. Her tone is deadpan and her anecdotes are often personal and fictitious--to great effect…. Yes, decidedly, Bernhard's still got it. What she's lacking after all this time, however, is a stage director… She does skip rather absent-mindedly from subject to subject, but only once does the pace feel threatened, and that's after a particularly bad as in, not funny joke about Sharon Stone when Bernhard has to urge the audience to get its energy back up. Rather, what is slightly frustrating about Bernhard is her simultaneous extolling and denigration of Hollywood elitism and consumerism…. Despite the flaws, however, Bernhard has made a career out of keeping people listening for the next thing to come out of her mouth. With each wicked aside, it's hard not to appreciate her candor, and laugh at her incisiveness."