I don't think that I'll ever tire of visiting this beautiful and atmospheric venue; it's truly one of London's hidden gems. It makes any invitation to review a production here too difficult to resist. I have to admit to having some misgivings about this show ahead of time, I'm by no means an opera buff; I've only been to one opera in the open air at Holland Park - and hadn't felt inclined to repeat the experience. So, when the invitation came with one of the performers billed as a star of the Metropolitan Opera I was a little apprehensive, but also intrigued as to how this would work alongside the other performer with a track history as a cabaret star.
Justin Vivian Bond is know as the queen of downtown cabaret, regularly holding court at clubs like Joe’s Pub, headlining at Carnegie Hall, they are described as ‘the greatest cabaret artist of their generation’ by New Yorker. Their interactions and quips with the audience, provided some of the highlights of the show, pointing at an audience member, "You look normal, what's it like?" And correcting Anthony when he says, "Amen", to "you mean 'AThem'".
Anthony Roth Costanzo is the star countertenor, his amazing high voice took me completely by surprise - it was faultless, clear and beautiful. If you want to catch him in an opera he'll be returning to the ENO in London in the spring in the title role of Philip Glass’s opera Akhnaten.
The premise is simple, combining their queer identities, to produce something unique. But the talent on display was anything but simple. We learnt how they'd met, and about their ensuing friendship - the affection between the pair was surprisingly touching.
They took us on a journey though classical music, opera, to pop mash-ups. Together with 9 musicians, Bond and Costanzo performed some 20 numbers. They managed 4 costume changes as well! Their joy in performing together was obvious, and the part where they experimented with each other's song style, miming as the true singer sang behind the curtain was a lot of fun.
I've always loved the Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush duet of 'Don't give up', and this version was equally moving, and perhaps rather apt as Kate recorded 'Wow' at Wilton's. The full song list is given at the end of the article.
Finishing with Dido's 'White Flag', this is one show that won't be sinking. If you ever needed a reason to visit Wilton's, now you have it.
Performances until 22nd October 2022
Running time: 90 minutes without an interval
Bookings: Here
Address:
1 Graces Alley
London, E1 8JB
Nearest stations:
Tower Hill - tube and DLR then a 10 min walk
Aldgate East
Shadwell - around a 10 min walk
London Bridge - overground - I walked it in about 25 mins
Full song list and composers:
Only an Octave Apart — Ken and Mitzie Welch
Me and My Shadow — Al Jolson, Billy Rose, Dave Dreyer
One Charming Night -- From Henry Purcell’sThe Fairy Queen)
There Are Fairies at the Bottom of our Garden — Liza Lehman, Rose Fyleman, Settle Elkanah
Waters of March -- Antonio Carlos Jobim
Autumn Leaves — Jacques Prevert, Johnny Mercer, Joseph Kosma
Über Allen Gipfeln ist Ruh -- Franz Liszt, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Medley:
- If You Were the Only {we sayNORMAL} Girl in the World-- Nat Ayer, Clifford Grey.
- Habanera from Carmen-- Georges Bizet
- I Am I Said-- Neil Diamond
Crudel! Perche Finora from Le Nozze di Figaro — Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
I’m Always Chasing Rainbows / Rainbow Sleeves — Harry Carroll, Joseph Allan McCarthy / Tom Waits
Stars (made famous by Sylvester)-- Patrick Cowley
Deh placatevi con me from Orfeo ed Eurydice-- Christophe Willibald Gluck
Don’t Give Up-- Peter Gabriel
Under Pressure — Brian May, David Bowie, Freddie Mercury, John Deacon, Roger Taylor
Walk Like An Egyptian-- Liam Sternberg
Akhnathen-- Phillip Glass
Dido's Lament from Dido and Aeneas-- Henry Purcell
White Flag-- Dido Armstrong,
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