Joe's Pub Offering Free Ticket Lottery for KIKI AND HERB

In April and May 2016, Joe's Pub at The Public will present the revival of Kiki and Herb, the legendary and fanatically-loved cabaret duo played by Mx Justin Vivian Bond and Kenny Mellman. Born in 1992 in San Francisco and retired in 2007 in New York City, the "perverse" and "transcendental" (The New York Times) septuagenarian lounge-singers will debut a new show entitled Seeking Asylum!

Ten (10) free standing-room tickets for each performance of Seeking Asylum! will be made available to the public by lottery on the evening of each performance. Entries - one (1) entry per person for a maximum of two (2) tickets - will only be accepted in-person in The Public Theater's lobby (425 Lafayette @ Astor Place) beginning at 5:30PM on each night. Winners will be drawn at 6:00PM, and may not re-enter lotteries for any other Kiki & Herb performances. Show dates are April 21-24, 28-30; May 1, 5-7, 11-15 & 18-22. Entrants must be present for both submission and drawing. Tickets are non-transferable.

The show's original run and extension, totaling 21 performances, sold out in record time - one and two hours, respectively. However, a very limited number of VIP tables ($1200, six (6) seats/tickets, limited edition signed poster for each attendee and a bottle of champagne) remain available for sale. Please contact kikiandherbvip@publictheater.org for more information and availability.

For 15 years, Bond and Mellman, as Kiki and Herb, shocked and charmed audiences with their political prowess, wild historical narrative and belligerently profound wit. Their use of pop music - ranging from Eminem to Kate Bush to Bob Dylan to Radiohead - and their utter lack of inhibition invigorated the genre of cabaret. "Slashingly funny, psychically unsettling entertainment-part cabaret, part rock and roll, part-Victorian melodrama-to which the category of camp does not apply," said The New Yorker.

Mellman and Bond retired the act after a Tony Award-nominated run on Broadway, two sold-out Carnegie Hall performances (2004 and 2007), an Obie Award-winning off-Broadway show at Cherry Lane, two albums (Do You Hear What We Hear (2000) and Kiki and Herb Will Die for You: Live From Carnegie Hall (2004)) and countless shows at clubs and theaters in New York and beyond. While they took their last bow on the Carnegie Hall stage, they will return to their downtown roots for an exclusive run of intimate performances full of new music and old favorites.

Kiki and Herb's Seeking Asylum! is part of New York Voices, the Joe's Pub artist commissioning program. This run is also part of Bond's yearlong celebration of v's 25th anniversary of cabaret, which commenced with the revival of Dixie McCall's Patterns for Living, V's first-ever cabaret show and collaboration with Mellman, and continues monthly with shows from Bond's catalog.

Mx Justin Vivian Bond is a writer, singer, painter and performance artist. Mx Bond is the author of the Lambda Literary Award winning memoir TANGO: My Childhood, Backwards and in High Heels, published by The Feminist Press and Susie Says... a collaboration with Gina Garan (Powerhouse Books, 2012). V's debut CD Dendrpophile was self-released on WhimsyMusic in 2011 and was followed by Silver Wells in 2012. In 2011, v's art exhibition The Fall of the House of Whimsy was presented at Participant Inc. Mx Bond is one half (with Kenny Mellman) of the legendary act Kiki and Herb.

Other notable works include starring as Warhol Superstar Jackie Curtis in Scott Wittman's production of Jukebox Jackie: Snatches of Jackie Curtis as part of La Mama E.T.C.'s 50 Anniversary Season, originating the role of Herculine Barbin in Kate Bornstein's groundbreaking play Hidden: A Gender, touring with the performance troupe Big Art Group and appearing in John Cameron Mitchell's film Shortbus. Other films: Sunset Stories (2012), Imaginary Heroes (2004) and Fanci's Persuasion (1995).

Mx Bond is a recipient of The Ethyl Eichelberger Award, The Peter Reed Foundation Grant and The Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artists Award for Performance Art/Theater, an Obie and a Bessie. Mx Bond, with Mellman, was nominated for a Tony for Kiki and Herb Alive On Broadway in 2007.

Kenny Mellman is in The Julie Ruin. Fronted by Kathleen Hanna, of Bikini Kill and Le Tigre, they released their critically acclaimed debut album Run Fast in September 2013 and have toured extensively since then. They are currently recording their second album. Mellman has also performed with Stephin Merritt (The Magnetic Fields), LD Beghtol, Dudley Klute and Bob Mould (Husker Du).

His own shows include Kenny Mellman Is Grace Jones, which toured the US, Australia and the UK and Say Sea Boy You Sissy Boy?, his one man musical about gay bashing and homophobia that was commissioned by Dixon Place. Mellman is one half (with Justin Vivian Bond) of legendary act Kiki and Herb. Active from 1992 to 2007, Kiki and Herb were critically and popularly embraced for their mix of political fervor, punk rock extremity, outrageous humor and heartfelt passion.

After collaborating with Bridget Everett for years, performing at Ars Nova, Joe's Pub and many other clubs, he co-wrote At Least It's Pink with Everett and Michael Patrick King for Ars Nova. With Everett and Neal Medlyn, Mellman created Our Hit Parade, the downtown NYC deconstruction of the pop charts. The show ran for four years at Joe's and was voted one Time Out New York's Top 10 Cabaret Shows every year. He has also collaborated with stars like Molly Pope, Cole Escola and Erin Markey.

There is a $12 food / two (2) drink minimum per person per show, unless otherwise noted. For tickets go online at joespub.com, call 10AM-7PM daily at 212-967-7555 or visit in person at The Public Theater Box Office, 425 Lafayette Street, NYC.

Named for Public Theater founder Joe Papp, Joe's Pub at The Public opened in 1998 and plays a vital role in The Public's mission of supporting young artists while providing established artists with an intimate space and superior acoustics to perform and develop new work. Joe's Pub consistently presents the best in live music and performance nightly, continuing its commitment to diversity, production values, community and artistic freedom. In addition, Joe's Pub features seasonal dinner and bar menus from acclaimed Chef Andrew Carmellini. As part of The Public's programming downtown at its Astor Place home, Joe's Pub showcases talent from all over the world, hosting approximately 800 shows and serving over 100,000 audience members annually. Joe's Pub also offers unique opportunities like New York Voices, an artist commissioning program that provides musicians (Allen Toussaint, Ethan Lipton, Toshi Reagon, Bridget Everett and more) resources and collaborators to develop new theatrical works; and PUB CLUB, the venue's new artist development program.

The Public Theater, under the leadership of Oskar Eustis and Executive Director Patrick Willingham, is the only theater in New York that produces Shakespeare, the classics, musicals, contemporary and experimental pieces in equal measure. Celebrating his 10th anniversary season at The Public, Eustis has created new community-based initiatives designed to engage audiences like Public Lab, Public Studio, Public Forum, Public Works, and a remount of the Mobile Shakespeare Unit. The Public continues the work of its visionary founder, Joe Papp, by acting as an advocate for the theater as an essential cultural force, and leading and framing dialogue on some of the most important issues of our day. Creating theater for one of the largest and most diverse audience bases in New York City for nearly 60 years, today the Company engages audiences in a variety of venues-including its landmark downtown home at Astor Place, which houses five theaters and Joe's Pub; the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, home to free Shakespeare in the Park; and the Mobile Shakespeare Unit, which tours Shakespearean productions for underserved audiences throughout New York City's five boroughs. The Public's wide range of programming includes free Shakespeare in the Park, the bedrock of the Company's dedication to making theater accessible to all; Public Works, an expanding initiative that is designed to cultivate new connections and new models of engagement with artists, audiences and the community each year; and audience and artist development initiatives that range from Emerging Writers Group and to the Public Forum series. The Public is located on property owned by the City of New York and receives annual support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs; and in October 2012 the landmark building downtown at Astor Place was revitalized to physically manifest the Company's core mission of sparking new dialogues and increasing accessibility for artists and audiences, by dramatically opening up the building to the street and community, and transforming the lobby into a public piazza for artists, students, and audiences. The Public is currently represented on Broadway by the Tony Award-winning Fun Home and Lin-Manuel Miranda's acclaimed American musical Hamilton. The Public has received 47 Tony Awards, 167 Obie Awards, 52 Drama Desk Awards, 48 Lortel Awards, 31 Outer Critics Circle Awards, 13 New York Drama Critics Awards, and four Pulitzer Prizes.

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