Boozy, bawdy, and bright—Kiki & Herb’s cabaret act continues to rock audiences across the world, even earning the duo of Mx Justin Vivian Bond, who embodies alcoholic lounge singer Kiki DuRane, and Kenny Mellman, who plays her gay piano accompanist, Herb, a Tony nom back in 2007 for Kiki and Herb: Alive on Broadway.
The pair return from the Great White Way to Baghdad by the Bay—the city where they first developed their wild act in the early ‘90s before taking it to New York and releasing a trio of albums, starting with their 2000 Christmas record, Do You Hear What We Hear?.
Their yuletide shows are the stuff of legend, so it’s safe to say that their latest, O Come Let Us Adore Them, will be talked about for seasons to come.
I spoke to Bond and Mellman about the new show, coming to The Castro Theatre on Fri/15 and featuring a potent cocktail of holiday favorites and “classless-classics,” what it’s like to come home again, and what would make their season merry and bright.
48 HILLS What’s it like to perform as Kiki & Herb again? How have Kiki & Herb changed over the years, and how have they remained the same?
KENNY MELLMAN It feels like riding a bicycle. Also, we have those 10,000 hours under our belt so it also feels like we have the craft to do it at another level.
MX JUSTIN VIVIAN BOND Since the fictionalized story of Kiki & Herb is a long narrative arc, a lot of the more established tales remain. But since we keep going, there’s also an acknowledgment that time goes on: Kiki’s children grow older, the world changes, and Herb’s peccadilloes become more bizarre!
48 HILLS What are some of the songs you’ll be doing at KIKI & HERB: O COME LET US ADORE THEM?
KENNY MELLMAN We are doing some newer stuff like Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish because Kiki & Herb have always tried to keep up with the kids.
MX JUSTIN VIVIAN BOND Along with what Kenny said, it’s fun to sort of come up with whatever we feel like doing as an encore each night.
48 HILLS Christmas music goes back far in Kiki & Herb’s canon. Most artists do a Christmas record after releasing a body of work, but you made your first studio album a Christmas record. Why?
KENNY MELLMAN It just made sense. We had been doing Christmas shows every year but our idea of a Christmas show was always fluid, so when Julian Fleisher said he wanted to produce an album, a Christmas LP made sense.
MX JUSTIN VIVIAN BOND We might as well have been born on the island of misfit toys. As queer children, we always had a kind of distance from Christmas that made it more interesting to contemplate and easier to comment upon. A majority of our audience shares that perspective.
48 HILLS Each time you’ve disbanded to focus on outside projects, is there always the feeling that you’ll reunite again?
KENNY MELLMAN No. We always take the temperature of what we both feel about it. It is not a done deal. And that is a good thing because it is so much more fun when we don’t have to do it, but because we want to do it.
MX JUSTIN VIVIAN BOND I never believe anything will be any different tomorrow than it is today, meaning I live in the moment. I have no idea what may or may not happen from minute to minute. That’s not important to me.
48 HILLS Why is KIKI & HERB: O COME LET US ADORE THEM the perfect holiday show?
KENNY MELLMAN Kiki & Herb have always been very sensitive to what is happening in the world so they do the show that the world might need at the time. This time, it seems to be about children, which is what we need to protect right now.
MX JUSTIN VIVIAN BOND Because we are perfect.
48 HILLS What’s it like returning to San Francisco? And what’s it like playing The Castro Theatre?
KENNY MELLMAN San Francisco was the birthplace of Kiki & Herb so it always is very emotional to come back to where we started.
MX JUSTIN VIVIAN BOND San Francisco is where I found my voice as an artist. There is no community or venue I would rather play to. San Francisco and The Castro Theatre are home to me.
48 HILLS What are your strongest memories of going to or performing at The Castro Theatre?
KENNY MELLMAN The Castro Theatre is where I first saw the films of Derek Jarman, Terence Davies, and Todd Haynes. It has always been a queer mecca for arts.
MX JUSTIN VIVIAN BOND When she was very sick with AIDS-related health issues, my late friend Miss Kitty pulled her car up in front of the theater, went inside, and lay down in the aisle to watch a film. That’s seared into my memory. Another incredible night was when The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence sainted me.
Also, I had a marvelous time giving concerts, presented by Marc Huestis—especially right after I released my first record as Justin Vivian Bond. I have so many memories of that place that I could go on and on.
48 HILLS How do you spend the holidays? What are your unique traditions?
KENNY MELLMAN As a Jew, I spend the holidays with my partner and his family doing Christmas—the tree, the panettone, the feast of the seven fishes, the whole shebang.
MX JUSTIN VIVIAN BOND I work so much in December that I’m usually exhausted, but when I want to get into the Christmas spirit, I wait until late at night, then go look at the windows at Bergdorf’s. They are always thrilling. I enjoy making a killer eggnog and having a few friends over. It’s always pretty chill.
48 HILLS If you could each experience a Christmas miracle this year, what would you want it to be?
KENNY MELLMAN That we could not have to think about Trump for five minutes and make the world a better place.
MX JUSTIN VIVIAN BOND For people to just calm the fuck down.
KIKI & HERB: O COME LET US ADORE THEM Fri/15. The Castro Theatre, SF. $29.50-$150. Tickets and more info here.
