After years of doing the highly praised Kiki and Herb, on and off Broadway and around the world, Mx. Justin Vivian Bond (she uses the gender-neutral alternative to Ms. or Mrs.) decided it was time to act her age.
The result was Love is Crazy, the show she is bringing to Houston complete with band from Joe’s Pub Series, under the auspices of Lott Entertainment Presents.
In Kiki and Herb, Bong played a character significantly older than herself. The Tony Award-nominated trans-genre performer decided to switch things up and sing and talk with her own voice and age.
“After 15 years of speaking in her voice, I felt like I was sort of losing the ability to speak my mind. It was just a very successful act that took so much commitment and time that really kind of stifled me creatively in a bizarre sense. People just expect you to keep doing the same thing. You can honor the crowds or honor the muse. Fortunately, I made the choice to honor the muse and the crowds have come along.”
Her music will include folk, jazz and contemporary and as an added bonus, she says: “I’m going to look as pretty as I can. And I only hire attractive people, so there will be nice things to look at.”
One head’s-up: Lott moved its productions to the Alley Theatre this season, so be sure you’re headed in the right direction when you go out to see the show.
Performances are scheduled for October 20 and 21 at 8 p.m. at the Alley Theatre, 615 Texas. For information, call 713-220-5700 or visit alleytheatre.org or lottentertainmentpresents.com. $37-$47.
This article appears in Oct 6-12, 2016.
