‘Tonight, I’m gonna say some s–t, and then I’m gonna do some s–t, and then I still won’t be done,” Bridget Everett warned us at “Rock Bottom,” her new show. “This motherf–king train is about to go off the rails.”
No kidding.
The other night, she drank someone’s cocktail before dribbling it back into his mouth, then had a mild-mannered, middle-aged man lick whipped cream off her arm.
It’s no surprise Everett’s made a cult name for herself, thanks to a unhinged concerts (with her band, the Tender Moments) and guest spots (on the now-defunct live variety show “Our Hit Parade”).
“Rock Bottom,” presented by the Public Theater, is billed as a musical, mostly because it’s more scripted than her usual fare, with original material Everett wrote with the “Hairspray” team of Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, along with Matt Ray and Beastie Boy Ad-Rock.
But like Everett’s 2007 show “At Least It’s Pink,” this one’s more of a cabaret performance: a star backed by a small onstage band performing numbers held together by a loose narrative and ad-libs.
As a singer, Everett can belt with the best of them, sometimes with an unexpected vulnerability. But what makes her unique is her fearlessness: There’s nothing she won’t say or do.
With numbers such as “Put Your D–k Away” and “Titties” and a stream of profane banter, “Rock Bottom” is as blue as it gets.
But what makes the show truly memorable is its propriety-busting physicality.
Clad in a barely there dress — basically a sheet hanging by the flimsiest of threads — Everett throws herself at the songs and her audience with loony gusto, which is why only the brave should sit near the stage.
“What’s your name?” she asked one man, then cut him off as he opened his mouth. “Shut up, nobody cares.” Aggressive as it sounds, Everett is more charming than antagonizing.
There’s a twinkle in her eye, and an unmistakable sweetness underlies her most provocative stunts.
For those of us who missed out on Bette Midler’s Continental Baths gigs in the early ’70s, this evening is a fitting proxy — a potent blend of big voice, big personality and big humor.
Best of all, you get the sense Everett is just getting started.