The Wrathskellar Preview 10/8

Dear Constant Reader,

Last night The Wrathskellar opened with a preview. I think I speak for all the BeauTease when I say that we’d been waiting for this moment for years. We’ve really missed our decrepit cabaret.

I will admit to being more nervous than usual. We hadn’t yet had a complete rehearsal with all costumes, all props, all lighting, and all of Bücher’s interstitial bits. But that’s why our first show is a preview. We open for real tonight.

I thought the show was a little rocky here and there as we figured some things out. I discovered that in full blackout, after just being in bright light, I can’t see the edge of the stage. Thank goodness Alice was there to grab my arm! There were a few other issues, but I’m sure they will all get smoothed out.

The audience seemed to like the show. Sometimes it’s hard to tell because this isn’t your usual burlesque show with lots of audience hooting & hollering. And more than liking it, they seemed to *get* it. We’re telling a story, a rather dark one. Hint: keep an eye on the footlights — they illuminate (pun intended) whether things are going well or awry for our characters.

Here’s a little backstage peek: that’s me as The Diva in my private dressing room. And just to keep this all glamourous… the door to my dressing room (the tech closet 11 months out of the year) won’t stay open by itself. I’d rather not be cut off from the rest of the world until it’s absolutely necessary, so I wedged the door open with something from the closet — a rusty curtain counterweight. No one warned me that the theatre was open to patrons until it suddenly was. In my haste to move the extremely heavy thing and stash it behind the draperies in the room, I slashed my finger open. Yay! At least it was my ring finger, one of the fingers Willy Barrett used to say that you could live without. And I avoided bleeding onto my ivory ostrich boa.

Tonight we don’t go on until 10pm. See, there are actually THREE* shows using the theatre this month. The Woman in Black is Mondays through Wednesdays and The Wrathskellar is Fridays through Sundays. However, on Fridays and Saturdays Shit-Faced Shakespeare is on before us.

So, that’s three shows worth of props, costumes, and set pieces, mostly ours. Just to give you an idea of how much that is, The Wrathskellar has a dozen performers, many of whom average four costume changes, and several very big, awkward, and somewhat delicate set pieces, like a chaise, a dressing table with mirror, and a dollhouse. The Woman in Black also has a couple of large set pieces. I don’t know if you’ve ever been backstage at the Davis Square Theatre, but it is not a large space. I hope this works out for all concerned, especially since one of Shakespeare‘s actors will be drunk.

I hope to see all of you Constant Readers in the audience this month! And don’t forget to read Bücher’s note before you arrive!

M2

*really more than that but we won’t count The Teaseday Club, the B.A.B.E. Striptober Showcase or the two other shows that Scratch isn’t producing, because they’re all one-night stands.

Published in: on 9 October 2015 at 2:47 pm  Leave a Comment  
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An Exhausting Weekend

Dear Constant Reader,

It has taken me this long to report on my weekend as I was completely wiped out! It was a great weekend, but a strenuous one.

Friday night The Boston BeauTease were engaged to perform at Rufflecon. I knew it was an “alternative fashion” event, but that did not prepare me for the acres of ruffles, lace, and petticoats worn by the attendees. It was predominantly Lolita fashions with a smattering of goth, steampunk, and Victoriana styles. I wish I had taken pictures to share with you the remarkable confections I saw walking around. To the right is a random photo from their fashion show, just to give a small idea.

We had been asked for a show that was a little Halloween-ish, for elaborate costumes, and for a male stripteaser. So, we brought along a couple of numbers from The Wrathskellar (preview tomorrow!), some of our finest costumes, and the performer who plays Klaus in The Wrathskellar, under the nom de strip of “Charles River”.

The audience was marvelous! We had a wonderful time performing for them. In particular, they went completely berserk over “Charles”. To no one’s surprise they loved Devora’s “Creepy Doll”. It was a perfect choice for this ruffle & doll-loving crowd. Betty & I got a lot of appreciation for our costumes (made by her, by me, and by Catherine D’Lish). You can see Betty’s new Theda Bara-inspired costume at The Wrathskellar. It’s quite remarkable.

It was a midnight show, so morning came very early. After a delightful breakfast, we took a turn through the vendors’ room, where I felt rather underdressed with only my single modest crinoline. I might have acquired a new tea wallet…

As much as we might have liked to stay in the fantasyland of ruffles and frills, we had to head back to Boston to get ready for load-in for The Wrathskellar first thing Sunday morning.

My day started with a private fan dance lesson with Elsa Riot at B.A.B.E. and then Eva (aka Blanche) arrived to help me pack up all the costumes & props and load up the car.

So much work had to be done, like building and painting stage platforms, hanging lights, making new curtains &c. It was all hands on deck and all the cast & crew pitched in. I’m not entirely certain what all was going on in the theatre as I had my own little project.

The tech closet had to be magically transformed into The Diva’s dressing room. I opened the door and my heart sank. It was full of boxes, lighting and sound gear, and all sorts of junk. I metaphorically rolled up my sleeves and got to work. I only thought to take a picture *after* I moved the boxes of our lighting gear out, cleared a shelf, and removed some of the 50 or so microphone stands.

You aren’t going to believe the transformation. That is, if you’re one of the lucky guests invite into my dressing room for a chat…

And after all that hard physical labor, we still had to have rehearsal. Well, that’s why they call it “hell week”. Ah, well, as they say, I can sleep when I’m dead.

I hope to see you in the audience. It makes all the work worthwhile.

M2

Published in: on 7 October 2015 at 4:00 pm  Comments (2)  
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Alleluia

Dear Constant Reader,

A couple of years ago we were asked to open for The Devil’s Carnival movie. You can read all about it here. At that time we knew next to nothing about the movie, but tried to pick an act with the right feel. After a few minutes into the movie, I said to Scratch “‘Creepy Doll’ would have been perfect.” So, I was delighted when we learned the second movie, Alleluia! The Devil’s Carnival, was coming to The Coolidge Corner Theatre and their tour manager contacted us to open again and specifically requested “Creepy Doll”.

Last night, Scratch & Devora packed up the creepy dollhouse and headed over to The Coolidge. I was tagging along as stage kitten/Wrathskeller promoter/person who really wanted to see the movie.

We thought we were in Theatre 2 upstairs, where there are wings, which were kind of necessary for the act. Turns out the movie was massively oversold and they moved it into the much larger Theatre 1 downstairs. The staff were fabulous and found us a three-panel screen to make a temporary wing, as well as helping to heft the dollhouse up onto stage (there’s a ramp to the stage in the Theatre 2…).

The performance was a little rocky on the tech side. We had to make some last minute adjustments with the dollhouse and the wrong song briefly got played at the wrong time, but Scratch & D.D. took it in stride. I thought they did a great job and so did the audience, judging from the number of compliments in person and on-line.

Here’s the first picture I found of Herr Bücher and The Lost Girl, snagged from Broke Horror Fan

The movie itself was quite good, even better than the first one. I’d recommend seeing it, especially if you’re a fan of disturbing musicals. This episode, as you might expect from the title, mostly takes place in Heaven. I just loved the look of it. It had a very 1940’s Hollywood feel, but there were these unsettling, but terrifically designed, totalitarian posters all over. I felt like the slinky black dress I was wearing for the evening, while not so Carnivalesque, fit in pretty well with Heaven’s nightclub. I think my favorite song was “Hoof and Lap” (I’m a sucker for German cabaret), but there several very good ones. After the movie, there was a brief Q&A with the creators and it was disconcerting to hear Lucifer’s voice come from Terrance Zdunich’s completely human face.

Totally worth not getting to bed until 2AM. Even if it does mean a less than coherent missive today.

M2

Published in: on 10 September 2015 at 12:16 pm  Leave a Comment  
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10 Years and a New Name

Dear Constant Reader,

Last night was the last Harburlesque performance and we used the opportunity for a big bash to celebrate 10 years of The Boston Babydolls. Hard to believe we’ve been doing this for 10 years. It feels like forever — and just yesterday. We’ve weathered some storms, but for the most part, it’s been a fabulous time. Our current group is just amazing.

We had all 6 Babydolls dancing to live music provided by our good friends from The Legendary VuDu Krewe. For the most part everyone did their favorite standards from The Mardi Gras Ball. I never get tired of doing my fan dance to “Harlem Nocturne”. I know there are burlesque dancers out there who say that it’s a clichéd piece of music, but, oh, when there’s a sax player right there, it’s magic.

Brigitte created an adorable trio that she, Stella, and I performed for the first time last night. It was so much fun — I think you’ll be seeing it again in the future!

After both shows were done, we scrambled up to the top deck to twist & shimmy to The WaveRiders. I got there just as they started up “Sing, Sing, Sing”, our usual curtain call music. All the troupe members, plus our Wrathskellar cast, just kept dancing through a surf version of “Bad Romance” (our private pre-show warm up song) and “Miserlou” (which we use for shimmy drills). It was perfect!

So, about that new name. Scratch had been talking about changing our name to celebrate our decade in burlesque, since “Babydolls” is a little juvenile and we’re decidedly not. Then we got a series of nasty letters from the attorneys for a Texas-based strip club chain called “Baby Dolls Saloon”, who seemed to think that people were going to confuse the two businesses.

We took the opportunity and last night we announced the new name. We are now The Boston BeauTease. (That’s Beauties, only with more Tease.) I think my house will still remain Stately Babydoll Manor — it’s an ancestral name, after all.

Thank you everyone who has been with us on this journey so far and here’s to the next decade!

M2

Published in: on 3 September 2015 at 10:45 am  Comments (1)  
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Tomorrow!

Dear Constant Reader,

Please join me tomorrow for …

The Last Boston Babydolls Show…Ever!

What’s this?! No more Boston Babydolls?! That’s right folks, you heard it here first.  After 10 years, we’re changing our name.  What you won’t hear first is what the new name is… unless you’re one of the folks who join us for our Tenth Anniversary Party on Wednesday, September 2.


Joining us as we cruise Boston Harbor on The Music City Queen are four of our good friends from The Legendary VuDu Krewe.  These musical miracle workers will be accompanying our dancers as they strip the night away! On the upper deck, you can twist and shout yourself to the surfin’ tunes of The WaveRiders!


There’s a cash bar on-board to keep the party going, and while some light snacks are available for sale, you probably want to have dinner first.


Tickets are available on-line or by calling (617) 934-2610.  We board at 7pm on Wednesday, Sept. 2 from Gate C at Rowes Wharf, right behind The Boston Harbor Hotel.  We set sail at 7:30pm, and will have you back at the dock by 10pm.
If you miss this party, you’ll have to wait another 10 years for one like it!

M2

Published in: on 1 September 2015 at 10:36 am  Leave a Comment  
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Upcoming Events

Dear Constant Reader,

I’ve got some upcoming shows & appearances and you should come to all of them!

Think I just take my clothes off on stage? I’m also an award-winning storyteller. I bet you didn’t know that! Next Monday, the 24th, I’ll be at Story Club Boston, telling a true tale inspired by “That One Song”.

The following Wednesday, August 26th is our last regular Harburlesque show. Join me, Brigitte, Stella, and, of course, Scratch for a fun show on the high seas (or at least Boston Harbor).

I said “regular” because our very last Harburlesque show will be September 2nd and it’s going to be a blow-out for The Boston Babydolls’ 10th anniversary! All 6 Boston Babydolls will be dancing for your pleasure to live jazz from our friends in The Vudu Krewe. When you’re not watching burlesque, enjoy surf music from The Waveriders and go-go dancing from The Wrathskellar Wenches. We’ll have a special announcement at the party. Be the first to know what it is!

In September I’m thrilled to be performing at Corinne Sothern’s Burlesque Speakeasy in Providence.

And then it’s time for The Wrathskellar! Our haunting cabaret returns to the Davis Square theatre. You really don’t want to miss this year’s show. The Lost Girl will be so sad if you don’t come and you wouldn’t want to make her sad, would you?

I hope to see you in the audience soon!

M2

Published in: on 19 August 2015 at 2:43 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Harburlesque Sets Sail!

Dear Constant Reader,

Yesterday The Boston Babydolls set sail on the Music City Queen for our first Harburlesque show! Our hard-working tech crew and Scratch had spent a great deal of time figuring out how to turn the lower cabin into a theatre. (Why does it seem like we’re always turning non-theatres into theatres?) By the time I got there last night, everything was all set up: lights, sound, and a section of the galley for our dressing room. We even had a full-length mirror and a costume rack (thanks, Scratch!).

Performing on a boat is a tad challenging. There’s the space issue — there’s just not a lot of it, but we’re used to that. There’s the height issue — the ceilings are very low. I had to re-choreograph parts of my fan dance because I couldn’t do a lot over my head. And Betty is going to have to be very careful. And there’s the movement issue — boats rock. The Music City Queen is pretty stable, but occasionally you’d feel it. I had to make split-second decisions about whether a dance move was viable or not, but in the end I had no problems.

The audience had a great time and the folks from Mass Bay Lines were very happy (which is good, since this is something of a gamble for them). Two things I like to hear! All the Boston Babydolls who weren’t performing were in the audience and a bunch of our regulars came out. There were also some people for whom this was their first burlesque show.

The performers were Brigitte, Stella, and myself with Elsa Riot kittening and Scratch hosting. Given the lovely riverboat setting, we picked acts with a classic style. I know, we’re usually classic, but we went *really* classic.

  • Brigitte opened the show with the public premier of her Mystery Box Challenge act to a modern remix of the jazz standard “Diga Diga Doo”.
  • Stella did a glove & gown strip right out of the 1950’s to “Real Gone”.
  • I did a piece to “The Mooche” with boa and panel skirt. Actually all 3 of our first numbers used boas.
  • Then Scratch did something impossible with a deck of cards
  • Brigitte did her signature sultry strip to “Tombstone Blues“.
  • Stella and Scratch did a bit of comedy which lead into…
  • Stella as a poor hitchhiker trying *anything* to get a lift, to “Burlecue“.
  • Scratch destroyed the laws of physics with a pastry bag and coffee stirrer from a nearby Starbucks.
  • Stella sang “Too Darn Hot” while I fan danced.

Next week the performers will be Betty Blaize, Devora Darling, and Evie Sphinx! Join us!

There was a photographer, so eventually there will be pictures, but for now I will leave you with the obligatory selfies that Brigitte, Elsa, and I took.

M2

Published in: on 18 June 2015 at 2:50 pm  Leave a Comment  
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The Teaseday Club 5/5/15

Dear Constant Reader,

I haven’t reported on a meeting of The Teaseday Club in far too long and last night was particularly exciting. And not exciting in a good way.

And then Heather reported the last minute cancellations. Scratch quickly flew into action to fill the empty spaces. We were fortunate in that the cast consisted of a comedienne who could do multiple sets, a burlesque dancer who also sang, and a stage kitten who was also a burlesque dancer (and lived near by and had someone who could gather her costume and bring it). I was the only one who couldn’t contribute to filling in.

It was kind of crazy and hectic back stage. There was much rewriting of the set list and frantic downloading of music.

This is how the set list finally shook out:

Set 1
Mina Murray: It was Cinco de Teaseday, so we thought there should be just a touch of the Latin. I did my fan dance to “Jezebel” by Frankie Lane, which has a few flamenco-type stomps in it, for fun.

Scratch performed a bit of magic involving a dollar bill being pierced by a car key.

Nonye Brown-West gave us a little stand-up comedy as well as dick pictures. Really. These were paintings that she had done of celebrities re-imagined as penises, such as “Tiger’s Wood” and “Notorious D.I.C”. Really clever stuff.

Corinne Southern sang “At Last”. This was one of those last minute additions, but you never would have known. She’s just that good.

Set 2
Nonye Brown-West opened up with more comedy and more art. Actually, at this point she had less art as several of her paintings had sold during intermission.

Corinne Southern presented her first striptease of the evening with a stunning costume from feathered robe to gem-encrusted gown to Glorious Pasties underlayer.

Scratch (with a little help from Elsa Riot) did a mystifying card trick. At least, it was mystifying to his chosen volunteer.

Elsa Riot has been The Teaseday Club’s stage kitten for a long time now, but tonight she graced the stage as a performer too. Elsa made her burlesque debut at The Great Burlesque Exposition this year and has been on a roll ever since. Just last Friday she won the “So You Think You’re a Lady” amateur competition! And tonight, with almost no warning, she jumped in to fill the vacancy left by that troublesome cancellation. She’s a terrific performer and a natural with a boa. Keep your eyes on her. Trust me.

Set 3
Corinne Southern had demonstrated that she can sing and that she can striptease, but now she put them both together with a rendition of Bowie’s “Moonage Daydream” while she disrobed.

Scratch: As a visitor to The Teaseday Club, you would be familiar with Heather’s smiling face in the box office. She’s about to graduate from college and go off to parts unknown, so this was her last Teaseday. Scratch called her up to reward her for her months of service with a Teaseday Cookie of her very own and then proceeded to do a little magic with the bag it came in.

Nonye Brown-West did her final set, reading a poem about her complex feelings about herself and cake, and showed off the last of her artwork. She left with her stack of paintings and prints quite diminished. Clearly penis paintings are the art wave of the future. You read it here first.

Mina Murray: I closed out the show with a new-old act that we’re calling “French Champagne”. This is an almost complete reworking of one I’ve done before, but I think it would be barely recognizable from its debut (Hot Dates, January 2011). The concept is the same, but the music and fine details are (I hope) much improved from the previous, recent iterations.

And who won The Great Teaseday Cookie? That would be a tie between Nonye and me! We shared the cookie (with an adorable double-bite that remains uncaptured by film), but she’ll be the one who’s back next month!

Everyone was terrific to work with last night. Performers and crew were complete professionals despite the chaos. We all helped each other out: sharing make-up, providing pastie tape, gifting earrings, pinning a popped seam, being cheerful and encouraging. Elsa even filmed my new act on my phone when my utter lack of planning kept me from having a real videographer there.

The Teaseday Club will return on Tuesday (of course) June 2nd!

M2
P.S. I just found the link to Nonye’s art work. Check it out here!

Published in: on 6 May 2015 at 2:33 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Expo 2015: The Main Event

Dear Constant Reader,

(Read about The Rhinestone Revue, The Bordello, and The Conference.)

This is the big deal — the competition. Once again, I had the honor of being a judge and sitting right up front, along with the previous Howard Award winners: Scarlet Starlet, Red Velvet, Blaze, Whisper de Corvo, and Nina La Voix.

It’s so hard to choose the winners. There were so many good acts, but we only have a few prizes. I’d like to recognize a couple of acts I really liked that didn’t receive awards or honors:

  • Dahlia Fatale: She gets better every time I see her! As Rachel from Blade Runner, she did some impossibly bendy things on a chair.
  • Matt Finish: A hot take on the classic gorilla suit strip.
  • Dot Mitzvah: It’s always a pleasure to hear Dot sing. In a change from her signature opera, she did a Broadway showtune. While stripping, of course.
  • Hard Corey: I’m delighted by his complete commitment to whatever ridiculous concept he’s chosen.

(Photos by John Bilotti)

Just before the big announcement:

The Honorees this year were:

Bella Blue’s choice: Mika Romantic

Angie Pontani’s choice: Zoe Ziegfeld

Kitten Natividad’s choice: Jolie Stripes

And the Howard Award winners:

Best Hybrid: Kiki Allure

Most Humorous: Chérie Nuit

Most Classic: Mika Romantic

Most Beautiful: Gala Delicious

Best Solo: Sailor St. Claire

And then we all went to the pool party!

If you want next year to be even more amazing as this year, please consider making a contribution. M2

Published in: on 1 April 2015 at 10:51 am  Leave a Comment  
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Expo 2015: The Bordello

Dear Constant Reader,

On Friday night, after The Rhinestone Revue, we moved next door into The Bordello for some more performances in a cabaret atmosphere with a dessert bar. The chef really outdid himself on those desserts, in particular the pumpkin pie and the lemon bars, but everything was great.

I think I can recall everyone’s acts, at least a little, since I spent a fair bit of time socializing and didn’t always catch everyone. The show was hosted by Ruby Besler, teaching us all a few naughty lessons and saying “beaver” as often as she could.

  • Chakra Tease teased us with a little “yogalesque”. Her balance and flexibility was impressive. Makes one want to get out the old yoga mat.
  • Prima Vera sang a favorite song of Scratch’s, “You Can Always Count on Me”.
  • Raven Gemini did a stunning number with wings of Isis.
  • Mona del Rio burned up the stage singing & stripping to “Proud Mary”.
  • Clara Coquette also burned up the stage with her fire-themed costume and veil-fans.
  • Doctor Vu as the X-Man Rogue, going strong even after her music cut out. The hotel sound system screwed a number of performers that night.
  • Vivi Noir got dirty in her bathtub. Yes, she brought her own bathtub all the way from NJ to Boston.
  • Maggie McMuffin got it on in her Porn Theatre to actual ’70’s porn soundtrack music.
  • It’s always a treat to see Vivian Vice, especially on stage. And of course she used a fan, her signature prop.
  • Joy Va Voi came next with a trip to a tropical isle and a fabulous headdress. Her song was incredibly naughty… if you already had a dirty mind.
  • FiFi Switchblade had a divided white/red costume to show her angelic/devilish nature as she danced to a song from a Dr. Who episode (really!).
  • Delilah Spring closed it out with her Tiki Fan Dance. I was particularly pleased to see her graceful teasing as I’m the one who taught her to fan dance.

    • Photos by Chuck Jones

    Clara Coquette

    Doctor Vu

    Delilah Spring

    I tend to change into a slinky black dress for the occasion. This was this year’s pick:

    Don’t forget you can help The Expo with its first-ever fundraiser!

    M2

    Published in: on 25 March 2015 at 2:27 pm  Leave a Comment  
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