Typical. You wait ages for a snappy Boy George anecdote then two turn up in quick succession. Raconteur Leslie Jordan recalled George's antics at the Apollo last week and last night Sandra Bernhard wondered if probing the singer on her outspoken chat show may have driven Culture Club's frontman back to drugs. Her series was dropped after 9/11 so, Bernhard added with waspish glee, she has her own reason to resent Osama bin Laden.
The lippy American was positively turbo-charged onstage compared to an unforgettably bleak night in windswept Worthing in 2007. She looked cool in a clingy black dress, she sang some original songs and pop covers beautifully, and her patter was consistently powerful, a mix of personal riffs and scathing critiques of celebrity culture. Karl Lagerfeld's Tweets were mocked, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Aniston pilloried.
Some stars are still in favour. No mention of old chum Madonna, but Liza Minnelli and Chrissie Hynde are the only people allowed to smoke in her apartment - leaning out of the window. Things dipped towards the end when Bernhard succumbed to reading out cuttings about unfamiliar US names, but her sassy, withering put-downs still raised smiles.
Effective stuff. If only she would do an intimate run in, say, Ronnie Scott's, she would be tremendous.
Until Feb 13. Information: 0844 873 3433, leicestersquaretheatre.com
Sandra Bernhard
Leicester Square Theatre
Leicester Square
WC2
