One would think that Sandra Bernhard, the feisty comic actress and chanteuse, would have mellowed as she moves into her second decade as a spouse and mother.
One would think so. And while Bernhard has certainly matured, and said that she views the world, and life, differently as a mother, fortunately, the opinionated performer still has a few skewering points for others in celeb land.
Bernhard will premiere her new show at Bimbo's, the North Beach nightclub, May 16 and 17. On May 18, she'll perform at the Center for the Arts in scenic Grass Valley. Her tour continues east and to Canada.
"I think the last time I performed at Bimbo's was about seven years ago," said Bernhard in a phone interview. "I've since been in about a million other places." Her upcoming tour includes several U.S. cities and Toronto, Canada.
Known in my New York days for her solo show "Without You I'm Nothing," which ran for six months Off-Broadway in 1988, Bernhard has had rave successes with subsequent shows, several of which became CDs and DVDs.
She also had some wild TV appearances, include this chat on the David Letterman Show in 1989, and the 1988 infamous "Cubbyhole" gig with Madonna.
Her music albums include "I'm Your Woman," "Excuses for Bad Behavior" and "Whatever It Takes." And don't forget the books, "Confessions of a Pretty Lady," "Love, Love and Love," and "May I Kiss You on the Lips, Miss Sandra?" Some of these items will be available at shows at what Bernhard called "the merch table."
Along with her stage shows, Bernhard's contributions to film and TV are notable. Who can forget her over-the-top role as a wild stalker-fan in league with Robert DeNiro's "Rupert Pupkin" in 1983's "The King of Comedy?"
Her roles as an out lesbian in "Roseanne," and as herself in the later lauded extra-gay "Will & Grace," won accolades while spreading her unique persona to wider audiences.