This Saturday night, Jonathan’s in Ogunquit welcomes comedian, actress, and brazen cultural observer Sandra Bernhard, who will perform her one-woman cabaret show, “Sandyland.” The show melds stand-up, theater, and music; Bernhard, who has been performing for live and television audiences for almost 40 years, thinks it’s well worth the price of admission.
“Now more than ever, the classic great performers are people that should be seen and supported,” she says. “There’s not a lot of great people who have been out there, doing it year after year, and still bring something fresh and new and the passion and enthusiasm that I have for my work. I think of myself as a great social commentator and somebody who dissassembles and deconstructs what’s going on in a really fun, crazy way.”
Those who know her from her time on Roseanne will be pleased to know that Bernhard recently returned to TV. On this season of ABC’s Switched at Birth, in a guest role written specifically for her, Bernhard plays a groovy art professor and something of a mentor to the character of Bay (Vanessa Marano). I ask her if she has any real-life advice to dole out to young performers.
“You have to have your own point of view, no matter who you are, and if you can’t access that or tap into it, then you don’t really have anything to offer to the conversation,” she says. “It’s harder and harder, with social media and everybody weighing in, to be a reqlly unique performer and artist. So you better fine-tune that and hone your craft if you want to have longevity.”
Sandra Bernhard performs “Sandyland” | Saturday, April 26 at 7 pm | Jonathan’s, 92 Bourne Lane, Ogunquit | $39.50+ | 207.646.4777 or jonathansogunquit.com
