Verbally, Bernhard’s armed to the teeth

There’s nothing like spending an evening with Sandra Bernhard to cleanse one’s pop-culture palate, and the 48-year-old comedian-actress-singer used all of her formidable talents to get the job done with satisfying style Saturday night at UCLA’s Royce Hall.

Taking aim at the power players of Hollywood, Sacramento, the White House and then back again, Bernhard’s scorched-earth rants even drew occasional gasps from the adoring capacity crowd that came out to catch her only scheduled Southland show.

Commenting on the recent suspected suicide of monologuist Spalding Gray, she said, “It’s that bipolar thing that everybody’s getting away with these days. I can think of so many other performers that I wish had done it.”

She also recalled seeing a magical Bette Midler performance in New York circa 1983, only to add, “and it’s been all downhill since.” And Midler got off easy compared with such favorite Bernhard targets as George W. Bush, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Condoleezza Rice.

Bernhard had passed through Los Angeles last year for a string of shows at the Cinegrill labeled “a work in progress,” presumably gearing up for the tour that included Saturday’s UCLA show. But aside from the half-dozen original and cover songs she performed with jaw-dropping power and an extended anecdote or two, her act, which included note-perfect musical backing by pianist Mitch Kaplan, guitarist Pam Adams and drummer Denise Frasier, covered largely new ground. In fact, even Bernhard seemed to have difficulty keeping track of the tangent-jumping.

“I’m halfway through and I haven’t even done any material yet,” she said with a laugh.

Later, her riffing -- consistently amusing, scandalous or at the very least heartfelt -- was interrupted by some gentle tinkling piano from Kaplan, which brought a mock-withering glance from Bernhard. “What are you trying,” she asked, “to move things along?” Perish the thought.