Justin Vivian Bond: The Return of Down on Creation – On Top of the World with The Carpenters
One story that downtown cabaret star Justin Vivian Bond likes to tell involves Bond’s seven-year-old self-singing The Carpenters’ “Superstar” at school during show-and-tell from behind the classroom TV set. Fast forward to the present and the performance artist and transgender trailblazer has finally transformed this lifelong passion for The Carpenters into a gorgeous full-length show. For this special evening at Joe’s Pub, Mx Bond explores the extensive catalog of gender outlaw and body dysmorphia poster-girl Karen Carpenter, bringing a thoughtful new context to the troubled life of the ’70s icon. Experiencing the Carpenters’ classic American pop songs through the prism of a pioneering performance artist illuminates the artistry of both and shines a light on a tantalizing new corner of the American Songbook.