{"id":86968,"date":"2025-09-11T14:47:12","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T21:47:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/?p=86968"},"modified":"2025-09-11T14:48:39","modified_gmt":"2025-09-11T21:48:39","slug":"theater-news-legendary-performer-sandra-bernhard-on-mood-swings-madness-and-mayhem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/art\/theater-news-legendary-performer-sandra-bernhard-on-mood-swings-madness-and-mayhem","title":{"rendered":"Theater news: Legendary performer Sandra Bernhard on \u2018mood swings, madness and mayhem\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to Theater News, a regular column by longtime reviewer Anita W. Harris. Look for it most Thursdays. Or\u00a0sign up<\/a>\u00a0for our Eat See Do newsletter to get it in your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Set to perform at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center<\/a> for one night only on Saturday, Sept. 27, legendary comedian, actress, singer and activist Sandra Bernhard shared her thoughts on performing and being herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though she\u2019s been entertaining audiences for decades on stage and on screen (some may remember her appearances on \u201cLate Night with David Letterman\u201d in the 1980s), Bernhard continues to bring her considerable talents to multiple projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recent screen credits include the second season of \u201cSeverance\u201d earlier this year on Apple TV+, as well as Disney+\u2019s \u201cPercy Jackson and the Olympians,\u201d Netflix\u2019s \u201cSurvival of the Thickest\u201d and as a guest judge on MTV\u2019s \u201cRuPaul\u2019s Drag Race.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She\u2019ll also appear in a film with Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet and Gwyneth Paltrow later this year called \u201cMarty Supreme,\u201d based on the life of table-tennis champion Marty Reisman. And she continues to produce a weekly podcast called \u201cSandyland.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n Link<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Bernhard\u2019s new touring show \u201cShapes & Forms\u201d \u2014 which she\u2019ll perform with a band at the Carpenter Center on Sept. 27 \u2014 features her signature mix of stories, music, provocative social commentary and satirical humor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asked what Long Beach audiences can expect from the show, Bernard said her stories interwoven with songs are \u201cgoing to turn your world upside down.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI’ll be bringing glamour, mood swings, madness and mayhem,\u201d she said. \u201cI would not have it any other way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asked what drives her to perform so profusely on both stage and screen, Bernhard said she embraces all aspects of entertainment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s what I love,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s like a beautiful dream constantly unfolding, being able to hop from one medium to the next. It\u2019s a gift to be able to do both, so I would never turn my back on either.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a person who identifies as bisexual, Bernhard\u2019s brand of political and cultural commentary includes reflecting on LGBTQ+ rights. Asked whether she thinks those are moving forward or backward right now, she has a resilient response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Sandra Bernhard, scheduled to perform at the Carpenter Center on Sept. 27. Photo by Kevin Thomas Garcia.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn terms of society, we continue to make great strides,\u201d Bernhard said. \u201cUnfortunately, the \u2018religious right\u2019 feels the need to pull us back. But guess what? We ain\u2019t going, honey.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She also said political news today is \u201cso ephemeral\u201d she can work current happenings into each performance in unique ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI really just wait until the last moment before a show to pick out the craziest of topics,\u201d she said. \u201cBy the next day, it\u2019s lost its meaning and it\u2019s on to the next outrage du jour<\/i>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But rather than think of the current times as completely different from when she first started performing stand-up comedy in the 1970s, Bernhard says it\u2019s new in some ways, but history still repeats itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe medium [of technology] has sped everything up,\u201d she said. \u201cBut in terms of history, it\u2019s hard to reinvent the wheel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of which time period she\u2019s in, Bernard says she\u2019s fortunate to have been raised as someone who speaks her mind about political and social trends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt just so happens that I was allowed to be my outspoken little self from the get-go,\u201d she said. \u201cNo one got in my way, and I think that\u2019s the best way to raise a fearless woman.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Asked if she has advice for women not raised that way, Berhard said, \u201cWe can only draw from our own experiences and upbringing,\u201d but are not powerless to change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you\u2019ve been stymied,\u201d Bernhard said, \u201cYou\u2019re going to have to figure out a way to break free of your shackles through friendships and active evolution.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked a final question \u2014 \u201cWho is Sandra Bernhard?\u201d \u2014 her description sounds like the best kind of cocktail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA smooth blend of groovy, fun, compassionate, nuanced, present, energized, inquisitive, always ready for an adventure,\u201d she said of herself. \u201cAnd fiercely loyal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sandra Bernhard will perform \u201cShapes & Forms\u201d on Saturday, Sept. 27 at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center, 6200 E. Atherton St., Long Beach. For tickets and information, call the box office at 562-985-7000 or visit <\/i>CarpenterArts.org<\/i><\/a>. Paid parking is available in a lot directly in front of the theater. <\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bernhard, who\u2019s recently appeared in \u201cSeverance,\u201d \u201cPercy Jackson and the Olympians,\u201d and\u00a0 \u201cRuPaul\u2019s Drag Race,\u201d is coming to the Carpenter Center.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":207,"featured_media":86972,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_post_subtitle":"Bernhard, who\u2019s recently appeared in \u201cSeverance,\u201d \u201cPercy Jackson and the Olympians,\u201d and\u00a0 \u201cRuPaul\u2019s Drag Race,\u201d is coming to the Carpenter Center.","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[32310],"class_list":["post-86968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86968","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/207"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86968"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86968\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86974,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86968\/revisions\/86974"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86972"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86968"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86968"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=86968"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=86968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}