TALKING TO TWO TURTLE DOVES: BARB JUNGR & DILLIE KEANE
Join two of international cabaret’s Grandest of Dames, Dillie Keane and Barb Jungr, as they jump giblets first into the festive season. Featuring songs by Tom Waits, Ray Davies, John Legend and a hilarious take on the Twelve Days of Christmas, among many more, this is not your standard Christmas fare. We caught up with Barb and Dillie to talk turkey – well not quite, but you get the seasonal gist.
TWO TURTLE DOVES ARE COMING TO THE ELECTRIC THIS DECEMBER – TELL ME MORE?
Dillie: It was Barb’s idea!
Barb: We had been meaning to work together for absolutely ages. It was just fortuitous that we were able to do this. I think we’re both going out of our comfort zones – if we have one – which I’m not sure we do. I think it’s great, I just feel like it’s an opportunity to learn. I mean Dillie’s extraordinary, she’s an extraordinary performer, a wonderful raconteur. I think both her shows, both with Fascinating Aida and her solo shows, are just masterclasses. Claire Martin the jazz singer said me years ago, “work with people that are great”. It feels like a great privilege to work with someone like Dillie.
Dillie: I’m absolutely terrified. Barb is one of the most wonderfully talented singers in this country, she’s an extraordinary diva – I’m going to get shown up!
Barb: Nonsense, absolute nonsense.
Dillie: It’s a festive show!
THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THE TWO OF YOU HAVE PERFORMED TOGETHER IS THAT RIGHT – WHEN DID YOU FIRST MEET?
Barb: We met in Edinburgh years ago.
Dillie: I think we met the year after you won the Perrier.
HOW WAS THE IDEA FOR THE SHOW FIRST CONCEIVED?
Barb: At the moment it’s on a google doc!
Dillie: We know what we definitely want to do. We know what we don’t. And then we have the maybes.
Barb: There’s definitely ‘Moonlight in Vermont’ you can be sure of those things and there’s definitely, ‘Have Yourself A Very Merry Christmas’ because you can’t do a Christmas show without it.
Dillie: There won’t be a dry eye in the house!
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE THINGS ABOUT CHRISTMAS?
Barb: I’m looking forward to seeing family. The last few years were hard. For me it’s people. I can do without all the ‘sell-y’ stuff, but I love the people thing, the people thing works for me. And the shows, the Christmas specials, the Christmas Gavin & Stacey that we’ll know doubt see again!
Dillie: Yes everything stops in our house for Gavin & Stacey. We changed our meal time last year for the Gavin & Stacey special. We normally eat so much that nobody can eat any pudding for about three hours. But, yes for me, it’s the people. John’s family are very organised and like Christmas lists so nobody opens anything they don’t want – all I can think of this year is a shower cap. I don’t need anything else. Presents slightly horrify me. I like hearing from people out of the blue and sometime I get those funny Christmas letters – I always devour them.
Barb: I always think those people are very organised, who manage to take pictures of themselves, lay it out onto a piece of paper and write about the year. I can’t remember what happened last week!
Dillie: I tried to do that once, but it was such a long read that I thought I could be bothered to print 50 copies of these – A4 both sides. I thought it more economic not to.
Barb: I once received a Christmas card from a friends family which was a photo they had taken of them all in the nude. I opened it up and thought I’m not sure I want to see all your bits and a ‘Happy Christmas’. But I thought it was kind of brilliant. Christmas hats, but nude.
Dillie: I occasionally write Christmas rhymes. So everything that’s happened in the year, but in rhyme. We ought to do a piece on it Barb – it could be hilarious.
Roger was the epitome this year of good cheer. He finally put up the shelves in the bedroom which would have been awfully dear
No sense of rhythm
Barb: Or metre!
Dillie: Just very bad rhymes.
Barb: But 10 out of 10 for exposing your creativity Dillie!
HAVE YOU GOT ANY PARTICULAR CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS THAT YOU LIKE TO STICK TO?
Dillie: My mum’s Christmas stuffing. I don’t want any other stuffing – none of your Chestnut nonsense. Mum did a bread stuffing which was just the most delicious thing in the world. For some reason she called it herb sauce, but it was just bread crumbs, butter, egg and salt and pepper. And I have added a pureed onion to it, but it’s just delicious. That’s my Christmas tradition.
Barb: That’s a really hard question I think. I don’t know if we have any traditions. We’re such a ragbag our lot. Sitting round watching a detective show is always good. We love some bodies being found. We’ve got a dog this year so I think we have to make new traditions because of Bambi (the dog). Bambi rules our world. She’s such a sweetheart.
Dillie: Will she get a Christmas present?
Barb: Oh definitely! She’s going to get Christmas kisses, Christmas love and definitely some sort of outfit – I know people are going to think, ‘really?’ But I’ve spent too much time in New York not to understand that small dogs need an outfit – especially when its cold.
Dillie: My little doggie she gets a new collar and a bone.
TWO TURTLE DOVES – BARB JUNGR AND DILLIE KEANE
DECEMBER 16 / ELECTRIC THEATRE, GUILDFORD
GET TICKETS