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\n\t\u201cI\u2019m a little nervous,\u201d Sandra Bernhard told the audience on the first night of her debut residency at Manhattan\u2019s Caf\u00e9 Carlyle on Tuesday (April 29) evening. Noting that the chic space insists its performers (whether they\u2019re a singer, actor, comedian, or in her case, all three) bring new material to the 90-capacity room, she wondered aloud whether that meant the venue had someone \u201cwatching, monitoring\u201d to ensure everything was fresh.<\/p>\n
\n\tFor a performer who started out in the \u201870s and has been singing, acting and cracking wise since (Bernhard is legendary for her brash, uncompromising style and dry wit, perhaps best showcased in her classic 1990 film Without You I\u2019m Nothing<\/em>), that\u2019s no small task. But if the venue was concerned about new material, they got that and much more when Bernhard revealed she had recently underwent open heart surgery.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cIt was a planned surgery, it wasn\u2019t that dramatic,\u201d Bernhard clarified, pointing out that other patients she came in contact with at the hospital were suffering through much harder health scares. (Her reaction to all that? \u201cThis sh-t\u2019s crazy, I\u2019m gonna pull through and get the f\u2013k out of here,\u201d she deadpanned).<\/p>\n \n\tBernhard shared she had some last-minute concerns about potential scarring right before her surgery. \u201cI know we\u2019re just minutes away from being wheeled into the operating room, but I\u2019m an actress, I\u2019m a performer,\u201d she recalled telling the doctor. \u201cDo I need to bring in a plastic surgeon? They said, \u2018We\u2019ll make it work, we\u2019ll make it beautiful.\u2019 \u2026 And here I am.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tAfter some cheers and applause from the crowd, she gave her fans the side-eye. \u201cI thought I\u2019d get a standing ovation, but okay.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe opening night crowd included her partner of 25 years, Sara Switzer, as well as friends and longtime fans (her rescue pup, George, was waiting for her in one of the upscale hotel\u2019s rooms in \u201ca smoking jacket\u201d), giving the evening a casual, conversational feel. At one point, she engaged in an extended conversation with one lucky woman sitting toward the front. Similarly, during an anecdote about her gynecologist, she turned to a table of presumably gay men (they were, after all, at a Sandra Bernhard show) and assured them, \u201cDon\u2019t worry, I\u2019m not gonna force anything on you.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tBacked by her Sandyland Squad Band (including her pianist of 40-some years, Mitch Kaplan), Bernhard sang an eclectic mix of decades-spanning songs over the course of the evening. Per the Carlyle\u2019s new-material mandate, she trotted out fresh covers in her repertoire, tackling everything from McFadden & Whitehead\u2019s \u201cAin\u2019t No Stoppin\u2019 Us Now\u201d to Lana Del Rey\u2019s \u201cYoung and Beautiful\u201d to Seals & Crofts\u2019 \u201cSummer Breeze.\u201d While the lyrics for the lattermost gave her a spot of trouble (\u201cIsn\u2019t this the soundcheck?\u201d she quipped), she quickly fell into a groove with her band; while Bernhard isn\u2019t known for vocal dynamics, she brings a captivating, effortless verve to the mic that eludes many technically proficient singers.<\/p>\n \n\tThere was real pathos and pain in her voice when she sang Marianne Faithfull\u2019s \u201cAs Tears Go By.\u201d The recently deceased singer-songwriter was a longtime friend of hers, and Bernhard told a few stories about her time with the chain-smoking chanteuse. \u201cWe\u2019ll never see the likes of her again,\u201d she concluded of the late icon.<\/p>\n \n\tMany years from now (we hope) when Bernhard herself shuffles off this mortal coil, the same will certainly ring true for her. From Flint, Mich., to stages around the world, Bernhard is a true American original, possessing the kind of wit and presence that can\u2019t be learned or manufactured. Seeing her in an intimate venue like Caf\u00e9 Carlyle during this residency<\/a>, which runs through May 3, is an undeniable treat.<\/p>\n \n\tBefore the night was over, she did a callback of sorts to her big reveal: grasping her chest, she slumped over, briefly faking a heart attack. \u201cThat\u2019s a new party trick,\u201d she shared.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n