By Matthew Wexler
“After a certain age, every artist works with injury,” says Justin Vivian Bond.
The Obie-winning performer takes to the stage this week at St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church to pay homage to singer-songwriter Marianne Faithfull, whose 60-year career famously began with a chance meeting with The Rolling Stones’ manager Andrew Loog Oldham. Over the years, Faithfull’s lilty soprano morphed into a well-worn gravel, her subject matter equally as weathered and ripe for interpretation.
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Bond first discovered Faithfull’s “Broken English,” the title song from her 1979 album, while living in a small town in Maryland, writing in the program notes, “that song opened a portal to a world that I knew I would eventually be a part of.” Now, Viv brings Faithfull’s body of work to life in the glorious church setting where Faithfull recorded her live album Blazing Away.
The evening weaves Faithfull’s songbook with Viv’s signature storytelling, a kind of captivating, rambling, stream-of-consciousness journey that nods to growing up in a “backward town,” eccentric relatives, and real-life encounters with Faithfull herself.
Viv, who many know from their alter ego cabaret act Kiki & Herb with Kenny Mellman, is more of a song stylist than a powerhouse singer. However, their inherent theatricality (and sophisticated styling, courtesy of Christopher Rao) suits Faithfull’s catalog.
The evening’s title song, “Flaming September,” casts a haunting shadow over Viv’s set list, a reminder of the precarious nature of the seasons and, in turn, humanity:
“My youth lies bruised and broken …
Do you remember
All the life
I gave to you?”
Viv turns personal memories of early jobs that failed to inspire and cousins hooked on Vicodin and Jolt Cola into captivating narratives, even when they defy logic or conclusion. Like latter-year Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, and Tom Waits, Faithfull’s song interpretation manifested exponentially with age. Justin Vivian Bond’s controlled theatricality, always in service of the material, fans the flames to ensure her musical legacy lives on.
Flaming September featuring Justin Vivian Bond plays at St. Anne’s & the Holy Trinity Church through September 28.
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