Sandra Bernhard's unique appeal derives, in part, from her resistance to categorization. This Flint, Michigan, native is a comedienne, pop singer, social satirist, and provocateur, often all at the same time. Her talents—wry humor, offbeat looks, earthy ease in front of an audience, and powerful singing voice—recall the cabaret and Broadway-nurtured divahood of Barbra Streisand and Bette Midler; but while Bernhard has the magnetism of a superstar, she has found difficulty reaching that peak, insofar as a star is a commodity who can open a movie, carry a TV show, or sell millions of albums. She has fashioned a career from the occasional film (Hudson Hawk, 1991) or TV appearance (Roseanne, Late Night with David Letterman); humorous memoirs (Confessions of a Pretty Lady); a dance album (I'm Your Woman); and most notably, her acclaimed one-woman stage shows, Without You I'm Nothing (a film...