Image by BJ Graham | Via Sandra’s official website
By Rachel Rosenberg
Sandra Bernhard has definitely reached icon status in pop culture, as an actress, writer, singer and radio host. She’s also a very talented live performer, appearing in both on and off-Broadway shows, so don’t miss out on her October 31st cabaret-style show at The Vogue, 8 PM.
Her latest show, “Quick Sand”, is being performed as part of the Chutzpah! Festival, and will be a deliciously glamorous way to spend your Halloween. Covering current issues such as politics, family, and celebrity, audiences are invited to listen as she rants and raves alongside a three-piece band. Bernhard is an accomplished musical performer in her own right, having recording over a dozen albums of jazz, blues and pop, and combining the music with comedy. “Quick Sand” has been designed to make audiences think about life’s larger questions, and Bernhard has never shied away from giving her honest answers. The festival’s name, chutzpah, is the Yiddish word for boldness and nerve and Bernhard profoundly embodies those concepts; watch videos of her appearances and relish in the brazen, unapologetic skewering of pop culture.
Bernhard is an out bisexual and active gay rights advocate in real life, and she portayed Nancy Bartlett on Roseanne, a character with momentous impact for being one of the first portrayals of a bi woman on American television. She’s currently playing Nurse Judy Kubrak in Pose, and has appeared in many of the most respected TV shows of the last decade: Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Broad City, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, The New Adventures of Old Christine, Will & Grace, The Sopranos, and The Larry Sanders Show.
Alongside her albums and television fame, Bernhard has been in movies, authored a number of books and opened concerts for artists like The Pretenders, Cyndi Lauper and The Scissor Sisters. She even won a well-deserved Gracie Award in 2017 for her radio show, Sandyland. This is an artist that doesn’t ever stop, so get your tickets to see her in Vancouver before she moves on to the next.
The Chutzpah! Festival is in a new time slot this year, having rolled over to fall from its usual spring dates. Catch the festival from Oct. 24 – Nov. 24 by visiting their site for the full festival listings. Tickets are available here.
Rachel Rosenberg is a writer and library technician who is a proud member of the LGBTQ2+ community. She writes for Book Riot and can be found on Twitter @LibraryRachelR
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