To Do List Loves… Lullaby | Justin Vivian Bond | Jonny Woo’s Gay Bingo
Duckie’s Lullaby
@ The Barbican until July 24th
“Loserville’s best night’s sleep in… well, ever”
Justin Vivian Bond – Dendrophile
@ Soho Theatre until July 9th
“like meeting up with an old friend, and remembering just why you love them so much”
Jonny Woo’s Gay Bingo
@ Soho Theatre August 7th & September 4th
“trashy trannies & porn for prizes – bingo as you’ve never seen it before”
If there’s one thing To Do List hates (actually, there are thousands of things, but still, imagine there was just one…), it’s reviews that spoil all the surprises. Luckily, Lullaby, from those fab Duckie people, is so successful in achieving what it sets out to do, that it’s actually impossible for me to litter this piece with spoilers. Let us explain: Lullaby is “a gentle, slumber show designed to send you to sleep”. And so it did. Having arrived and checked in, Loserville got changed into our rather splendid PJ’s, supped on a mug or two of hot chocolate, and then tucked ourselves into bed to enjoy the show. About an hour or so later, To Do List was fast asleep, for our best night’s sleep in… well, ever. Before our eyelids gently shut, we were treated to gorgeous melodies, soothing bedtime stories, and dream-like sequences which made the 9-til-5 grind of daily life recede into insignificance. It’s so nice to go to sleep with a smile on your face – and there was a beautiful surprise in the morning to make sure we woke up smiling too. Boiled eggs and soldiers finished things off nicely, and then boom! Reality seeped back into our lives, and To Do List was off to spend another day at the office. There’s no denying it though – we were smiling all day. More Info Here
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To Do List has been hearing great things about Mx. Justin Vivian Bond for years, we’ve got all the albums, and of course we heart Shortbus. We’re ashamed to say, then, that until this last week, we hadn’t had the pleasure of a night in Mx. Bond’s company. There’s always a risk when you see someone performing live for the first time, especially when you’ve been a big fan from a distance for so long: will they live up to your expectations, or shatter the illusion? We needn’t have worried. Showcasing songs from the new album, along with a crowd-pleasing singalong rendition of “In The End” (the beautiful song from the end of Shortbus) and a To Do List-pleasing cover of The Carpenters’ Superstar, Justin had the audience enthralled from beginning to end, whilst in between songs, stories about anyone and everyone from Vanessa Redgrave to Tennessee Williams, thoughtful and hilarious in equal measure, cast light on the stories behind the tunes. What struck To Do List most was the modd of the night – this wasn’t the performance of a diva for whom the audience is merely a distraction, nor the self-absorbed attention seeking which accounts for so much underwhelming cabaret. This was so different, so much better – it felt like meeting up with an old friend, and remembering just why you love them so much. This may have been To Do List’s first time at a Justin Bond show, but we know one thing for sure: Justin is that rare thing, a performer you could must see every time she’s in town. Because once you know what you’ve been missing, you just can’t get enough. More Info Here
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To Do List was really trying to have a quiet, relaxing weekend. But then we thought, f@&k it, relaxing is for grown ups!
There’s no better (legal) way of sticking two fingers up to the week to come than Jonny Woo’s Gay Bingo, which made it’s Soho Theatre debut in style.
For anyone who hasn’t had the pleasure, Gay Bingo is like regular bingo, but with the odd improvement: out go the grannies and the big cash prizes (who needs money anyway?); in come trashy trannies, porn for prizes, and a celebratory on-stage romp whenever good ol’ 69 makes an appearance.
When he’s not calling the numbers as if his wigmaker’s life depends on it, Jonny leads a whole host of camptastic fun and frolics, from Liza singalongs to Human Centipede re-enactments. All true.
This is bingo as you’ve never seen it before, and believe us: you’ll never go back to the bingo hall after this! More Info Here
I am Joint Editor at To Do List. I like: nice pubs, film marathons, not doing real marathons, bad comedy, plays/musicals with shorter second halves, and the Oxford comma.
