Dec 20 2008
Sinderella
“The Twisted Tale of a Christmas Crack Whore”
Last night, Sarah and I went to see “Sinderella” by The Tiger Lillies with Justin Bond at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, something of a last minute decision, having spotted the advert in the paper that morning, which more than made up for missing “Viva la Diva” and “Rolo Tomassi” earlier in the week due to colds and age.
Cold and aged this was not, a heart-warming retelling of the timeless rags-to-rags tale of Sinderella, the eponymous crack whore, her evil step-mother and two ugly sisters. As expected, the longed-for love interest (the rapper Prince Charmer, who had tripped over her discarded trainer) neither went well nor lasted long, due to colon cancer. Unredeemed by love, crack, her stuffed cat, clambering through the audience, her departed mother represented by a dead pigeon on fishing wire or the joys of mopping, Sinderella was forced into the only way out: family murder and the overdue suicide.
“… when your brains are shot out, a happy end there is no doubt,
I’ll put that gun to your head, pull that trigger - now you’re dead.”“Pull the trigger” (C) The Tiger Lillies
The palpable pathos brought to the role by young Miss Bond was truly heart-rending, leaping when required both-footed into threnodies than could curdle the spirits of even the most avid daytime television viewer. A tour de force, more than ably assisted by Martyn, Adrian and Adrian in what I suspect may in fact be their normal day wear.
How many of us can truly say, hand on aged hip, that we have not been there at some point?
The double CD is now available through my shop and is a recommended gift to those nearest and dearest to you.
The night ended with a bang, as stated; after their “reincarceration”, an encore of “Bangin’ in the Nails” brought only one complaint of blasphemy. Far greater the sins depicted on stage and the fact that our society allows them to happen still.
Adrian’s drum kit had rarely looked more battered; the usual “meet, greet, sell & sign” session at the end was a great chance to thank the group and Justin for such an uplifting evening - “you’re the one in the leather pants, I almost slid off you …”
