The last time Sandra Bernhard toured here, in 2007, her visit embraced such unlikely outposts as Worthing, King’s Lynn and Huddersfield. This time she has shrewdly homed in on the capital, where her full-on schtick has a loyal following.

The first night of her Leicester Square run found her slow‑burn at times but she was clearly happy to be among friends.

It also helped that she was working with proven material. This show is billed as a 20th Anniversary celebration of her classic set, Without You I’m Nothing.

In typically contrary fashion Bernhard quickly explained that it was actually the 21st anniversary. And she updated it anyway, opening, for instance, with a scorching cover of Christina Aguilera’s Beautiful.

Bernhard’s style is closer to stand‑up prose than jokesmithery. Highlights included a stroppy tale of performing a lesbian-subtexted Me & Mrs Jones at the Prince’s Trust and some gleeful bitching about old pal Madonna recycling melodies — albeit rather rich for someone recycling a show.

Songs lifted things when the gags occasionally sagged. Bernhard does not have a great voice, she has great voices, channeling Streisand, Sixties soul and scat at will. Mostly though, this is a show about Bernhard herself.

At 53, she looked devastatingly striking, first in a black mini-dress, then in spray-on encore trousers. She resembles Tracey Emin not just facially but also in the way that her life is her art.

The show might be called Without You I’m Nothing, but I was sure she fluffed a line and came out with the more revealing Without Me I’m Nothing.

Until 5 June. Information: 0844 847 2475,
www.leicestersquaretheatre.com