Disdain.
Insolence.
Disparagement.
Sarcasm.
In Sandra Bernhard’s new show, “Without You I’m Nothing” at Theater J, she kvetches continually, whether she’s sneering at vacuous celebrity-speak from a fashion magazine, mocking mediocre singers or voicing contempt for Sarah Palin.
But in the end, oddly and subtly, Bernhard’s message is positive.
In this updated version of her off-Broadway show from 20 years ago, Bernhard mixes music with satire, self-revelation and a trip down memory lane. Bernhard says along the way that she has two sides, but as her stories spin out, it’s clear that there are many more than two: she’s a savvy political and cultural observer, a rocker, a reformer, a lover, a devoted mother — and much more.
Written by Bernhard and John Boskovich, the performance begins with Bernhard singing, accompanied by her dynamic three-man rock ‘n’ roll group, The Rebellious Jezebels. Audience members who know the actress only through her non-musical film or television work are in for a surprise when she starts belting tunes, beginning with a knock-out version of “And I’m Telling You” and ending with a sensational “Little Red Corvette.”
Bernhard, who directed the show with Kenneth Hartung, is onstage for almost two hours without intermission and is confined to a small area. She keeps moving within that limited space, addressing audience members who sit cabaret-style just in front of the stage, controlling the show’s tempo and mood through changes in delivery style and substance, breezing from narrative to song, comedy and dance.
The fascinating thing about “Without You I’m Nothing” is although Bernhard uses as many four-letter words as other comedians do, she doesn’t do so for shock effect or to establish a lowbrow persona. Her profanity comes across as a shout to a passive, disengaged world.
Behind Bernhard’s criticism of present-day American life in “Without You” is a passionate belief things don’t have to be so bad. What she communicates most clearly is her confidence that a better America will exist if she can just mobilize everyone in the audience to go out and start creating it.
If you go
“Without You I’m Nothing” runs through Sept. 28
Venue: D.C. Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th Street NW
Performances: 8 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday; 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Saturday; 3 p.m. Sunday
Tickets: $45 to $60, discounts available
More info: 800-494-8497; www.theaterj.org
