Different Roseanne, Same Singing Voice

As her backing quintet vamped the bluesy theme to her old sitcom, comedian and syndicated talk-show host Roseanne took the Viper Room stage Thursday night wearing aviator sunglasses, a baggy black sweater and skintight snakeskin-print pants. “I have multiple-personality disorder, and this is one of my alters,” she announced. “She’s 12 years old . . . and she’s turning into a boy so she can feel safe.”

It was just like the outspoken Roseanne to invoke endangered girl-dom as a way of justifying her rock-star goof, the second in a scheduled series of weekly local appearances (she’s scheduled to play at the Mint the next three Thursdays). Still, you could see the gum-chewing performer’s exaggerated gestures and bold, if (ahem) loose, vocalizing as some imaginary pre-adolescent’s private attempt to wrest a little power from the world.

Appropriately, the 30-minute set featured such singing-to-the-mirror classics as Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit,” the Doors’ “L.A. Woman” and the Ramones’ “I Wanna Be Sedated.” Yet even though a satirical, feminized take on Bo Diddley’s “I’m a Man” recalled Roseanne’s stinging stand-up routines of old, this was more a celebrity indulgence than a purposeful lampoon.

Even so, the crowd quickly tired of her and couldn’t muster enough enthusiasm to coax an encore. Which was just as well. If Roseanne weren’t a star, she never could have scored a Sunset Strip singing gig, let alone a residency at the Mint. But, hey, that’s show biz.