REVIEW: ONLY AN OCTAVE APART Anthony Roth Costanzo & Justin Vivian Bond at Wilton’s Music Hall until 22 October 2022

‘mind-blowing artists with a fantastic emotional range and regardless of your musical preference, you’ll have a blast’ ★★★★

I mean… where do I even start? Before the show started, the gentleman beside me asked if I had been to many shows like this before. I said yes… well, at least I thought I had – I’ve been to the odd bit of cabaret; some brilliant drag shows – but I admitted that most of my background was in very serious Irish theatre from the 60s and 70s. He assured me I had literally no transferable skills for what I was about to see. He was correct.

So, what was it? Yes, cabaret… but not quite... Yes, opera… but also, definitely not. What we are presented with is two legends of their respective trades – Grammy Award Nominee, operatic countertenor, Anthony Roth Costanzo, and cabaret superpower, Justin Vivian Bond – giving what feels like, at some points, a masterclass, at other points a playful exhibition, and sometimes (just sometimes) a little bit of a clumsy, mismatching of styles.

To use the old cliché, I laughed, and I cried. We open with the classic cabaret staple – some basic, tongue-in-cheek, observational comedy. But it became very much more than the sum of its part. It became a recurring invite for us to explore the relationship between the two artists on stage. Unexpectedly, these gentle jibes culminate in intense moments of vulnerability as the two explore their own personal journies and explorations of sexuality, identity and searchings for acceptance and a place where they both belong. While I would have, at times, wanted to remain and rest in this vulnerability, Bond is quick to try and cut it short – an act itself so heartbreakingly loaded with the battle scars of this same search for safety and belonging.

A few highlights in the setlist. A heartwreching rendition of Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush’s “Don’t Give Up,” Bond’s steamy take on “Me and My Shadow,” Roth Costanzo singing both the tenor and soprano parts for Mozart’s “Crudel, Perchè Finora” duet, and an absolute barnstorming rendition of “Under Pressure” by Queen and Bowie. While it could be argued the set list lacked continuity, I suppose that’s the essence of cabaret. Bags of energy, an emotional journey and expecting the unexpected.

The band. My word, as immensely talented as they were, as you would expect for such a show, it was the diversity of instrumentation for such a small unit that really blew me away. And also, try walking into a place like the Wilton Music Hall, see a full concert harp, and not be even a little bit excited!

If I had to give a down point, as far as structuring goes, it fell a tad heavy on the opera – at times if felt a little like they were trying to shoehorn Shakespeare into a GCSE class by telling us poetry was just like rap. But still, I feel they should be commended for the effort. It’s a great night out. Both are mind-blowing artists with a fantastic emotional range and regardless of your musical preference, you’ll have a blast.

ONLY AN OCTAVE APART

Anthony Roth Costanzo & Justin Vivian Bond

Co-created and directed by Zack Winokur

Wilton’s Music Hall 28 Sept - 22 October 2022

Box Office https://www.wiltons.org.uk/whatson/753-only-an-octave-apart

Presented by Creative Partners Productions and Kindred Partners

In association with Justin Vivian Bond | Anthony Roth Costanzo | Zack Winokur

And St. Ann's Warehouse

Twitter

@mxjustinVbond

@A_R_Costanzo

@WiltonMusicHall

Reviewed by Mícheál Lagan