Sandra Bernhard Loves Being Herself…In Seattle

It’s hard to believe that Sandra Bernhard has been a star for nearly thirty years, but the actress/singer/ comedienne/performance artist/writer has been a force to be reckoned with since her film debut in Martin Scorcese’s “The King of Comedy” in 1983. Since then, she’s acted in films and television but probably achieved household name recognition as Madonna’s “best friend” for a period of time in the late 80’s (before Rosie O’Donnell came along…) But, her bread & butter work has been her one woman stage shows, all conceived and written by Bernhard, and featuring her dry caustic wit combined with live music and a backing band.

Her latest show, “I Love Being Me, Don’t You?” was originally set to take the stage at Seattle’s Triple Door back in February, but the show was postponed to…well, NOW and the Divine Miss Bernhard will be in town for Pride Weekend, for five shows starting this Thursday, June 21st. The run continues Friday and Saturday with two shows daily, at 7:30pm (17+) and 10pm (21+) and tickets are still available for the entire run.

The show coincides with the release of Bernhard’s new album of the same name, and “I Love Being Me, Don’t You?” follows in the footsteps of her other staged shows:

Bernhard’s last show, “Hero Worship,” featured a five-piece band and was a post-September 11th tribute to Bernhard’s commitment to irony—that it, too, has survived September 11th. The show featured a range of musical numbers (some original and some covers). It was a fearless attempt to show that life must continue and the show must go on. Other notable performances include her participation in the “Stormy Weather Benefit ’98,” organized by Don Henley, which also featured Stevie Nicks and Joni Mitchell, as well as “The Elton John Tribute for Broadway Cares.”

Bernhard’s one-woman Broadway show, “I’m Still Here … Damn It!,” was hailed by the New York Times as “an angst driven, foul-mouthed poison-laced joy ride that banks and careens frenetically through the worlds of fashion, celebrity, rock, and religion. In her own voice, unfiltered, [Bernhard] is a living, breathing bonfire.” The show, which initially ran for five months off Broadway, went on to play sold-out runs in Boston and San Francisco, and was filmed for an HBO special.

She’s brash; she’s loud; and she’s very, very funny and Seattle has her for Pride Weekend.

Be gentle with her.

And, will she be in the parade? Someone make her a Grand Marshal!