BWW Review: Sandra Bernhard Takes a Stroll Down SANDRA MONICA BLVD at Joe's Pub

A woman of many talents, one of Sandra Bernhard's greatest gifts has been her finely-honed ability to satirize Hollywood from the inside. Luckily, her latest residency at Joe's Pub, the year-ending SANDRA MONICA BLVD: COAST TO COAST, gave her plenty of opportunities to keep sharpening that blade.

In fact, Bernhard began with deconstructing her own celebrity, opening the December 27 show with a story about famed talent agent Sue Mengers, who represented her negotiations for HUDSON HAWK and, in her bid to make Bernhard "a superstar like Ann-Margret," Mengers attempted to more than double the $200,000 offer for her client to co-star.

And, while history shows she did, in fact, appear in the film, as Bernhard ominously recalled, "I was never offered that salary again..." Regaling the audience with that showbiz fable, not unlike the tale of Icarus flying too close to the sun, she proved keenly aware that to many, "stars" are essentially the last remaining mythological creatures.

Possessing both a lengthy résumé in the entertainment industry and a certain lack of fear, Bernhard is uniquely positioned to dispel us of those notions. And how? Who else could tell a crowd of strangers, "Joan Collins has never been one of my favorites," and mean it on a personal level?

In general, the performer couldn't have been clearer about the parts of culture she loves (Leah Remini's A&E docuseries about Scientology) and what she hates: Elizabeth Hurley's opinion on Brexit, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Tom Ford's latest movie, NOCTURNAL ANIMALS, to name a few. ("Why didn't we just watch 9 TO 5 again?")

That's part of what made Bernhard's choice of opening number, a cover of Billy Joel's "Say Goodbye to Hollywood," so poignant. True, the entire set list is meant to evoke "the soundtrack you might hear on an AM radio station you pick up from Oklahoma" on a cross-country road trip. But Bernhard was typically candid about a particular era of her career being in her rearview as well, even lauding her SiriusXM show SANDYLAND for putting her "back on the map."

Her self-awareness was omnipresent, including a bit where she mined gold out of well-trod comedic terrain: the Apple Genius Bar. After enduring a bit of a wild goose chase, she finally encountered Alan--- "He's my genius" --- who, of course, told her everything she'd heard up until that point had been incorrect.

When Alan asked when the last time she'd shut off her phone, she responded that it had been three months. Riding shotgun in her own joke, she revealed his reply: "Imagine how you'd feel if you hadn't slept in three months!" which had the audience cackling, outdone only by her spectacularly off-the-wall musings about what Helen Mirren is like in her everyday life later in the show.

Ahead of those bits, the first third of the show did feel a tad long, due solely to the tantalizingly long gap between the opening number and the second, a rendition of the Tom Waits-penned "Downtown Train."

But it was well worth the wait, with Bernhard's earnest cry of "Will I see you tonight?" as she stood there, belting in a Guns N' Roses shirt and a shimmering skirt hanging past her knee. What was most striking about the performance was the disconnect between her jagged-edged comedy and the unselfconscious joy of her singing.

Even without hearing a note from Bernhard, who showed herself to be a powerhouse vocalist, this would be clear from song choice alone. These days, Blood, Sweat & Tears' "Spinning Wheel" (David Clayton-Thomas) feels mostly like a novelty tune (blame Sesame Street), but she restored some of its former glory with an unabashed enthusiasm.

And while it doesn't get much less cynical than Patti Smith's anthemic "People Have the Power" (Smith/FrEd Smith), nowhere was that enthusiasm more prominently on display than during the encore.

Returning to the stage, this time in slacks, Bernhard melded hopeful songs like Whitney Houston's "My Love is Your Love" (Wyclef Jean/Jerry Duplessis), The Beatles' "Let It Be" (Lennon/McCartney) and even "Let It Go" (Kristen Anderson-Lopez/Robert Lopez) from FROZEN.

Although seeing the division addressed more directly would have been satisfying, it was fascinating to witness the dueling facets of Bernhard's psyche in real time. There's also certainly nothing wrong with enjoying the withering one-liners, vinyl record jams, and stories about Diane Keaton and Lily Tomlin low-key shading her for her height.

At the end of the performance, Bernhard directed the crowd out into the lobby area for signed merchandise and a photo op, drawing cheers after drily warning, "You will not tell me about your feelings."

That's fine, Sandy. We prefer listening to yours anyway.