Mx Justin Vivian Bond has to be one of the most exciting cabaret acts on the scene.  This is by no means your mainstream fare.  Bond’s show is musically dark, currently political, deeply personal and electrifying.  What impresses me most is how utterly fearless Mx Bond is.  I did some research to see exactly what Mx means as a title, and it’s a “gender-neutral honorific.”  Well, all I can say is for a gender-neutral performer, Justin Vivian Bond has the biggest balls in New York City!

You kinda had to been there because, out of context, this may not sound appealing, but our first glimpse of Bond’s humor came when “v” (gender-neutral pronoun) described the show as “aggressively neutral, brutally bland, virulently vague and teetering on interesting.”  It teetered so much on interesting I felt as if I’d been catapulted off the seesaw.

Tonight’s show was also the launch of Bond’s new CD, Silver Wells, a collection of songs about pretty obscure places.  For me, it was a collection of pretty obscure songs, but that didn’t make a bit of difference to the enjoyment factor.  It just added to the excitement of the evening. My favorite songs were Bond’s own “Genet Song,” Leonard Cohen’s “Famous Blue Raincoat,” Tracy Chapman’s “Talkin’ About a Revolution” and, the best song of the night, Melanie Safka’s darkly intense “Leftover Wine.”  I can’t say Bond’s voice is my cup of tea, but Bond’s ability to sell a song, even those “v” admittedly doesn’t really understand, is second to none.  Bond’s accompanist, Thomas Bartlett, is not only great at the keyboard, playing all songs by heart, but adds to the comedy as he tweets and texts during the show, and leaves the stage for a pee.

Moving past the music, Bond’s observations on life are not only hysterically funny, but terrifically incisive.  Regarding cross-dressing, v points out that all a child needs is one adult to approve, and that allows the child to fly with the idea.  That, of course, can apply to anything that’s not within the usual boundaries children are given.  Bond tells us “everyone should act nicer than they feel.” Now how true is THAT?  He tells a story of how, being in a drunken state, ordering an extra gin and tonic led to an idea for a detective series Estrogen and Thomas.  If it’s ever made, I hope it’s aired in the UK where I live.

Bond said, “I don’t write history, I just reflect it.”  These reflections, along with Bond’s music make for one helluva good night out.  For those who are already fans of Bond, this is “V V” good, and one not to be missed for cabaret-goers who want to be challenged.

Mx Bond continues as the amazingly gorgeous new 54 Below on June 18 and 25, and July 2 and 9.

Harold Sanditen
Cabaret Scenes
June 11, 2012
www.cabaretscenes.org