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Sandra Bernhard Reveals Open Heart Surgery (Then Fakes Heart Attack) During Café Carlyle Residency Debut

Sandra Bernhard revealed that she underwent open heart surgery during her debut residency at Café Carlyle.

Noting that the chic space insists its performers (whether they’re a singer, actor, comedian, or in her case, all three) bring new material to the 90-capacity room, she wondered aloud whether that meant the venue had someone “watching, monitoring” to ensure everything was fresh. The opening night crowd included her partner of 25 years, Sara Switzer, as well as friends and longtime fans (her rescue pup, George, was waiting for her in one of the upscale hotel’s rooms in “a smoking jacket”), giving the evening a casual, conversational feel. There was real pathos and pain in her voice when she sang Marianne Faithfull’s “As Tears Go By.” The recently deceased singer-songwriter was a longtime friend of hers, and Bernhard told a few stories about her time with the chain-smoking chanteuse.

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