Justin Bond Proves to be the Hostess with the Mostest (with Glitter)
If conservatives really wanted to slow down the gay agenda, theyd go after the glitter industry. This is something I pondered during [Justin Bond]'s [Lustre: A Midwinter Trans-Fest](http://www.ps122.org/performances/justin_bond.html) at Performance Space 122. From rhinestone skulls, to bejeweled carousel horses, to Nathan Carrera, every piece of set dressing, stitch of clothing and layer of makeup seemed awash with sparkle. Except during lesbian performances, of course, because, as the old queer adage goes: drag is when a man wears everything a lesbian wont.
The billing for the show is actually Justin Bond and Friends, which scared me a little. I never miss an opportunity to see Justin Bond, but how much of him was I really going to be getting? Just who are these friends? I bristled even more when I heard the words up and coming because, frankly, the mixing of up-and-coming performances with the trans-identified usually conjures up images of tap dancing transvestites and obnoxious pre-op drag queens ripping off their tops for dollar bills. Sort of a Trans-Americas Got Talent, a Star Search for the watered-down, urban performance scene.
The show certainly had its uninspired moments, including heavy-handed piano solos and threadbare choreography but, as a whole, it delivered an unusual evening of entertainment. A couple of great songs from a uke-playing [Bitch], a fun little piece about leg crossing by [Glenn Marla](http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=27356238), musical direction by [Our Lady J](http://www.ourladyj.com/) and, for the obligatory strutting of fabulousness, cute prancing courtesy of [The Pixie Harlots](http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=217037051).
But as far as Im concerned, with the shimmering feyness of Mr. Bond holding all of this androgynous creativity together, the show cannot fail. Hes a fantastic hostess who can carry just about anything you give him; effectively turning the mood of the evening with a song, regaling you with comic tales of Joan Didion and Anne Frank and punctuating every well-rehearsed story with a series of scathing ad-libs. All of this while wearing a fishnet frock made of shriveled party balloons and shredded streamers. Lets see Jon Stewart pull that off!
Photo by Adrian Buckmaster