Costuming The Wrathskellar

Dear Constant Reader,

Work on The Wrathskellar is in full swing. Yes, we’re actually calling it The W. R. Athskellar Cavalcade of Curiosities this year, but The Wrathskellar is so much faster to write.

The main thing we Babydolls are concentrating on right now are our choreographies and that means we need to know what our costumes are. Part of rehearsal last night was spent rummaging through our costume collection to choose pieces and figure out what needs to be created. One of the challenges for this show is that it’s entirely in greyscale. All costumes have to be black, white, shades of grey, or silver.

We’ve got a few pictures up in this Facebook album: W. R. Ehearsal, Aug 25. We’re planning to be better about documenting some of our rehearsal/backstage process.

I’m making both of my costumes. This weekend was spent buying most of the fabric and starting construction. This is going to be the top for my hooping act.

The main fabric is black with silver embroidery, cutwork, and rhinestones. Note the cool selvedge treatment. The white satin is for the lining and will show through the cut-outs. I discovered *after* I sewed the whole thing that only one of the selvedges had rhinestones on it. Oh no, I have to add more rhinestones!

Today I make the skirt and maybe tomorrow you’ll even get a peek at the whole thing together.

M2

Published in: on 26 August 2013 at 11:50 am  Leave a Comment  
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The Teaseday Club 8/13/13

Dear Constant Reader,

The Teaseday Club opened again this past Tuesday, again not hosted by John J King (trust me, this gets funnier the more months you attend). Instead, it fell to our own Mr. Scratch to keep things moving along. Honestly, I think even if, by some miracle, John were available, Scratch would have taken this month as it marked Evie Sphinx’s last performance (only for a while, we hope) as she goes off to complete her degree.

I was in the audience this month, with a video camera, so perhaps in the future I can share a little of the fun.

(All photos from Mystic River Studios by Rich Jarvis Photography)

Set 1
Delilah Spring of The Tasty Pasties opened up the show with her fan dance to “The Mooche”. Delilah was one of my fan dance students last year and I think it shows in her performance. At least to me. I could recognize the moves I taught her and the ones she picked up from watching me.
 
 

Anthony Scibelli provided us with a stand-up comedy set. He’s a very funny guy: just Google his name + “snozzberries”.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Devora Darling performed a number from A (Re)Movable Feast which we call “Cupcakes”. It has many of her favorite things: a pink frilly costume, dancing en pointe, and a bra covered with soft-sculpture petit-fours. I know, I know that gives away the punchline, but she’s so fond of it. I think she’d wear that bra all the time if she could get away with it.

Stella Diamond sang “Paper Moon”, as she does in The Fine Art of Burlesque (last performances this weekend in New Hampshire and Maine). The lovely vintage gloves were a find from our trip to Cleveland, purchased from Miss Holly Hock at the Ohio Burlesque Festival. Stella got big cheers during the dance break in the middle of the song even though she didn’t take a thing off.
 

Set 2
Dagny Vanderlust of The Tasty Pasties performed “Bad Things“. I love this number because I saw it grow from an idea to a stage-worthy act in B.A.B.E.’s “Burlesque Your Way” class. I think Dagny tried out at least 4 different pairs of shoes over the life of this routine, from rhinestoned stilettos through bare feet to character shoes, before deciding on the cowboy boots. By the way, her final reveal is awesome and it’s *after* her bra comes off.

Krupp and Bubbles began with a little slight of hand from Krupp and ended with a little demonstration of the art of misdirection from Bubbles.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Evie Sphinx danced to the song Amor Fati from the new album, Softly Swooning World by Samantha Farrell, who was in the audience. Although the act was brand-new, observant fans might have noticed that she was wearing most of her “Smiling Undertaker” costume from The Wrathskellar 2012. A whole bunch of Evie’s Introduction to Burlesque students came to the show and provided her a personal cheering section.

Then some more comedy from Anthony Scibelli. He’s a writer at Cracked.com (one of my favorite time wasters) and you should check out his stuff.

Stella Diamond looked like a good girl, but as the song “Whatever Lola Wants” began playing, she gradually shed her inhibitions along with her clothing. I’m not sure which Stella enjoys more, the silly hat she wears or that the naughty magazine that gets her going is gay porn bought at a discount (it was ladies’ day at the sex shop).
 
 
 

Set 3
Amber BuTane of The Tasty Pasties teased all the “Momma’s Boys” in the audience with her amusing strip, which included twirling fake saggy boobs. And Amber’s actual mom was there to see her daughter in all her glory. Mother BuTane both did Amber’s hair *and* captured Mr. Scratch’s heart.
 
 

Krupp and Bubbles did a little mind reading. They had the audience toss a deck of cards randomly around and whoever caught it would flip through and pick a card, then toss it to someone else. Some of those tosses were more like pitches and many of the catches were fumbles. It was a little worrying… But there were no injuries, at least no major ones. Six people were brought up on stage and six cards were correctly named, although two of them required a little special attention.

Delilah Spring of The Tasty Pasties returned with a second fan dance plus a little striptease to “My Man”. Some of the Boston Babydolls (names withheld to protect the childish) have an awfully juvenile sense of humor. During rehearsal before the show, Kendra the Sound Gal called out from the booth “Delilah, do you want to do my man?” and there was some snickering from a particular corner.

Devora Darling, Evie Sphinx, and Stella Diamond in “A Harlequin Romance”. This act was created for Unlucky in Love (and was the only number in that show to use recorded music). They performed it again at The Expo 2012 to such acclaim that The Shanghai Pearl wanted to award them her trophy (but it has to go to one of the acts in competition). I was so happy to see it one more time. It’s a lovely blend of commedia dell’arte (from Scratch), ballet (from Evie and Devora), striptease, and classic comedy (a la Sid Ceasar and Nanette Fabray). They got a standing ovation.

The next meeting of The Teaseday Club will be September 10th. See you there!

M2

Published in: on 15 August 2013 at 9:55 am  Leave a Comment  
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Review: Crazy Horse

Dear Constant Reader,

Crazy Horse, directed by Fredrick Wiseman (2011).

The good people at Zipporah Films sent me a copy of Crazy Horse to review. When I started watching the movie, I knew of the Crazy Horse in Paris, although I’ve never been.* Beyond that, I went into it a tabula rasa.

Unlike your average documentary, there are no voice overs, no captions, and no focal point. The camera roves around the Crazy Horse while a new show, Desir, is in creation. It’s almost entirely in French, with subtitles, so I found I had to pay close attention or I’d get totally lost**. We jump between rehearsals, performances, back stage, and conversations. There are too many establishing shots of Paris and the camera frequently lingers on stage lights changing colors. Honestly, I found it tedious — 2 plus hours was a bit much.

After watching it, I learned that Fredrick Wiseman is famed for his fly-on-the-wall style of film making***.

Also, I learned that I am a philistine, because all the critics absolutely raved about this film and its brilliance.

What did I like? The performance footage. It was quite inspiring. Many of the acts involved fabulous lighting effects, either silhouettes or colored images projected on the dancers. And It’s nice to see that a big-budget show has some of the same problems as our little shoe-string productions.

After a while I did get used to the fact the film had no overt adgenda, like many documentaries, but just sort of drifted around. Eventually I figured out most of what was going on, but I’m still not sure who some of the people were or their roles in the show.

M2

* I have been to the Moulin Rouge, but that’s neither here nor there.
** My French is okay, but not good enough to only listen and still follow along.
** Sometimes called it “observational cinema” or “cinéma vérité”, but apparently he dislikes those terms.

Published in: on 14 August 2013 at 11:35 am  Leave a Comment  
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Carrie Nation Cocktail Club

Dear Constant Reader,

Last night The Boston Babydolls appeared at the opening of the Carrie Nation Cocktail Club on Beacon Hill. Originally we were going to perform and they particularly wanted a fan dance. Then they decided the stripping might be a bit much for the clientele, so we would do a shorter all-variety show (and I’d do a clothed fan dance). In the end we were just asked to walk around in costume and provide atmosphere.

I’ll be honest — I often dread walk-arounds, because we’re usually expected to be ice breakers. But really, no one at a function wants to make small talk with some stranger, no matter how glitteringly dressed she is, especially when there’s an open bar and free food.

But this was fine, we stood around the Speakeasy Room, looking like fantasy saloon girls (except for Scratch, of course, and Betty who decided to wear an evening gown), welcoming people. The Speakeasy Room is all dark wood, dim lights, and comfortable seating. And a couple of really nice pool tables. We began a game in which I had a really nice start (sank a ball right off!), but never got back to it. Anyway, it was the first time the room was open so there were a lot of admiring guests.

The main room had the buffet (constantly mobbed!) and a swinging band. I was in the dressing “room”* taking a short break, when Scratch said “The bandleader says they can play ‘Minnie the Moocher'”. I changed into my dancing shoes (it’s always worth it to bring them) and headed out.

I did a modified version of my act. Obviously, no stripping, and a fair amount of vamping since they sang, I think, 2 of the four verses. I remember thinking “Hey, that’s the King of Sweden! I guess we’re not going to kick the gong around…” (it makes perfect sense if you know the song). Then Betty danced to “Dark Eyes”. Then Stella sang “Paper Moon”. It was a lot of fun and pretty good for being totally spontaneous performances.


(Photo courtesy of Carrie Nation)

And once you get Betty dancing, there’s no stopping her. The two of us danced to “In the Mood” (this was just for fun; we weren’t “on stage” anymore) and I was beat at the end, but she just kept going. And plenty of other people joined her on the dance floor.

One of the torturous things was the food. It looked *so* good, but we were working. All around us people had plates of truffle mac & cheese and oysters on the half shell. The adorable flapper waitresses made sure we could grab the occasional passed hors d’oeuvre. That crab cake was amazing; the two of us had a moment. I’m told the cocktails were very good as well. No shock.

Upshot of the evening — everyone seemed pleased. We’re hoping to actually perform there sometime. And we’re definitely coming back for drinks and/or dinner.

M2

*All right, the dressing room. Our contract always specifies that we get a clean, private, well-lit dressing room. When we arrived, we were directed to a landing in a back stairwell that was powdered with construction dust. Oh the glamourous life! Apparently when Scratch had been there a week ago, when the Speakeasy was still under construction, it had been swept and there was a clothing rack and table. How things change in such a short time. The staff did scramble to make it better — a table with linen, some chairs, bottled water, and a sign on the door that said “Dressing Room Do Not Enter”. We still got staff poking their heads in while we were changing. So, clean, private, or room, not so much. It was, however, well-lit. Not the worst place we’ve ever dressed. And it wasn’t like we were doing a show with multiple fast changes.

Published in: on 30 July 2013 at 11:21 am  Leave a Comment  

Show on the Road: Saturday, July 20

Dear Constant Reader,


Only 3 days left! It’s your last chance to vote for The Boston Babydolls for “Best Theatre Group” and B.A.B.E. for “Best Dance Classes“!

(Just joining us? Here’s Friday.)

Saturday began with the search for breakfast. We like diners, but Scratch had found a donut shop that sounded amazing. Then he discovered that we had crossed the IHOP/Waffle House line. Waffle House it would be*! And the donut shop had a location in Johnstown, so we’d save that for the next day.

Fortified with pecan waffles, we tried to visit a vintage clothing shop, but failed. On the road again! The drive to Johnstown was pretty easy. And there was surprisingly little roadkill compared to the last trip through Pennsylvania. At that time (because we were mostly delirious) we had come up with a game that if you saw roadkill, you grabbed someone’s boob. Remember that Betty wasn’t on that trip. Also, she spent most of this trip on her laptop, madly coding the new Great Burlesque Expo website. So, I call out “Roadkill!” and from the back seat I hear a scream as Brigitte gropes an unsuspecting Betty. From then on, if we saw roadkill, Brigitte just screamed.

Arkworks by MinaWe arrived at Art Works, unloaded, set up our dressing room in an enormous room, and figured out how we were going to set some of our bigger numbers on the little stage. On the recommendation of our hosts, we repaired to The Phoenix Tavern for some dinner. There were signs all over the place reminding us that they had chicken balls. This was an intriguing mystery which I will explain later. Suffice it to say, it’s not something you want to eat before a show.

Sadly, I don’t have any pictures of the show to share. A photographer was going to be there, but he was in a massive car accident the day before. He’s okay, miraculously. However, that kept him from making it to the show. And he was the ride for Abbey, our fabulous stage kitten/merch girl from The Rex, so she couldn’t be there either. Much sadness. Fortunately, we got a volunteer stage hand, who did great, especially on no notice.

First up was the Whiskey River Panhandlers, so we got to listen to some awesome music while we got ready. The show went just fine. We didn’t have a Special Guest for this iteration, so Scratch did another magic trick to give everyone time to change and Betty took the SG spot in the Act II opener.

You can’t please all the people all the time. Although the majority of the audience had a really good time, I did overheard Scratch apologizing to an indignant audience member that we hadn’t intended to offend anyone. Uh-oh. What had we done? I feared Brigitte’s Still Life act was to blame.

As it turns out, it was one of the numbers I think is cute and (relatively) wholesome. Our finale involves artist’s canvases with only the blank backs visible for most of the number. When we finally reveal the paintings, the first 2 are the same (and always get a big laugh, but I’m not going to give away the joke here) and the 3rd is different (which gets a different laugh). It happens to be a painting of a Renaissance Madonna and Child**. And that was the problem. Not Brigitte deep-throating a banana. The Blessed Mother at a burlesque show. There’s a first time for everything.

After we packed up and loaded out (and thanks to everyone who helped out!), we went back to the Phoenix Tavern with some folks. All Brigitte could talk about was trying a chicken ball.

It’s shredded chicken and stuffing formed into a ball about the size of my two fists, dipped in batter, and deep fried. It’s served on mashed potatoes and covered in gravy. Brigitte & Scratch did let me have a taste before they devoured it. I’m told the banana split cake was pretty fab too***.

And then bed. Morning was going to come very early…

Tomorrow: home again!

M2

* A new experience for me.
** Chosen because it was visually the best contrast with the other two. No other reason.
*** You know how I feel about bananas.

Published in: on 23 July 2013 at 1:32 pm  Leave a Comment  
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The Fine Art of Burlesque: Boston

Dear Constant Reader,


Vote for The Boston Babydolls for “Best Theatre Group” and B.A.B.E. for “Best Dance Classes“!

Saturday was the only local production of The Fine Art of Burlesque. We were at one of our favorite venues, The Coolidge Corner Theatre as part of their @fter Midnight program. It’s a lovely theatre. One of the drawbacks is almost no time to get ready — we get set up as soon as the last movie ends and try to let the audience in as close to midnight as possible. And this show is a touch more elaborate that most we’ve presented there. So, there were a couple of exciting moments. The joys of live theatre.

Many thanks to our Special Guest, Sweet Lily Bee from Minneapolis; our stage kittens, Mandy & Aubree; the tech crew at the Coolidge; and Hunter who planned just be an audience member but ended up helping with load in and load out anyway.

Here’s a couple of pictures from Mystic River Studios by Rich Jarvis Photography!

Fine Art balloon Fine Art Scratch Fine art Mina  Fine Art Coolidge booty swing

On Saturday we’ll be presenting The Fine Art of Burlesque in Johnstown, PA. Expect a report of another epic road trip!

M2

Published in: on 15 July 2013 at 11:24 am  Leave a Comment  
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The Teaseday Club 7/9

Dear Constant Reader,


Vote for The Boston Babydolls for “Best Theatre Group” and B.A.B.E. for “Best Dance Classes“!

The Teaseday Club met again on Tuesday, July 9th with hostess Sarah Blodgett and the All-Girl line-up! Once again it was a huge amount of fun. It’s a delight to share the stage with such a diverse group of talented performers.

All photos courtesy of Mystic River Studios by Rich Jarvis Photography.

Set 1
Peril S. Curves started things off with a little Star Spangled Burlesque. I hate to spoil surprises, but the joke is too good. Peril’s pasties have pinwheels on them. She used to use an electric fan to make them twirl, but it was too complicated and prone to technical difficulties. So, she asked Sarah and our stage kitten to provide the breeze. As Sarah said, it wasn’t the first time someone asked her to blow them at a show. But it was the first time she said yes!

Sari Kalin presented a little Porch-i-oke. What’s that you ask? It’s a sing-a-long lead by Sari on her accordion. A couple of audience members volunteered for enthusiastic participation on stage, wearing large signs that designated their purpose, like “RING” for the one with the cowbell. And everyone sang “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll” with the help of their handy lyric sheets.

Fonda Feeling brought some Game of Thrones-themed burlesque. I’m afraid I can’t comment more that that as I’m woefully ignorant on the topic (I know, I know, I’m probably the only person who isn’t reading the books or watching the show). Just enjoy the picture.
 
 

Baseema performed a bellydance with zills (that’s the Turkish name for finger cymbals. Consider the day lost in which you learn nothing.) We’re awfully glad she could join us when the previously scheduled bellydancer was injured. I was backstage getting ready, so I sadly didn’t get to see her dance.
 
 

champagne on iceMina Murray (that would be me) presented Champagne on Ice. I thought it was appropriate for the hot weather we had been having. Although presented with a bottle of champagne, I’m much more interested in the ice! The picture shows me just having removed and tossed one stocking. Apparently I got some good range on it because I had to hunt around after the show to find it. It had landed *behind* the stage.

Set 2
Kitty Drexel opened the second set by singing “Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch Me“. That was an audience favorite!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Fonda Feeling‘s real love is circus burlesque. As well as stripping, she also performed acts of balance and flexibility that were quite astonishing. It’s even more awe-inspiring when you know that (as she puts it) 3 years ago she couldn’t touch her toes. The music was Undisclosed Desires, which was pretty appropriate.
 

Sarah Blodgett, comedy’s Funny Honey, gave us a little taste of her stand-up act.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Vikki Likkerish presented her signature Muff ‘n’ Mix act in honor of her birthday, just days before.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Baseema stunned the crowd by dancing with two swords. I’ve seen a lot of bellydancers use a sword before, but Baseema’s dance just took my breath away. Her skill with manipulating those swords so powerfully and yet gracefully was simply incredible.
 
 

Set 3
Peril S. Curves opened the final set with a debut act! She came out looking just like Barbie. Do you know what Barbie looks like after you take her dress off? Yes, that’s exactly how Peril appeared! Then she removed that layer… I’m not going to spoil this one because it’s brand-new, but you have never seen Barbie look that way!
 

Kitty Drexel returned to sing “A Call From The Vatican“. She was clad only in a button-down shirt, so I’m not sure how attentive some of the audience was to her singing…
 
 
 
 
 

Vikki Likkerish also presented a new act. It was an etherial striptease with layers of pink chiffon to a version of “Addicted to Love”.
 
 
 
 
 

Sari Kalin brought back Porch-i-oke with “Love is the Drug”.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

fan danceMina Murray closed out the show with a fan dance to “Harlem Nocturne“. I know a lot of burlesquers roll their eyes about this song being a cliche, but I love it.
 
 

And who won The Great Teaseday Cookie?
image-6

Me! Brigitte will be so proud. If you bought a ticket in my name, expect to see a little thank you in your email soon.

The next meeting of The Teaseday Club will be Tuesday, August 13. See you there!

M2

Published in: on 11 July 2013 at 11:52 am  Leave a Comment  
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Tomorrow is Teaseday

Dear Constant Reader,

Vote for The Boston Babydolls for “Best Theatre Group” and B.A.B.E. for “Best Dance Classes“!

Tomorrow is the monthly meeting of The Teaseday Club! Please buy your tickets in my name! If I sell the most tickets and win The Great Teaseday Cookie, I’ll have a special backstage photo taken exclusively for my supporters! But it only happens if I sell the most tickets…

It’s going to be a fun show! Burlesque from Vikki Likkerish, Peril S. Curves, Fonda Feeling, and, of course, me! Porch-i-oke from Sari Kalin (there’s an accordion involved…)! Singing from Kitty Drexel! Belly dance from Baseema! And the whole thing is hosted by comedienne Sarah Blodgett!

Tickets go up by $5 after midnight tonight, so don’t wait.

See you on Teaseday!

M2

Published in: on 8 July 2013 at 9:18 am  Leave a Comment  
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Show on the Road: Saturday 6/22

Dear Constant Reader,

Vote for The Boston Babydolls for “Best Theatre Group” and B.A.B.E. for “Best Dance Classes“!

Buy your tickets to The Teaseday Club on July 9th in my name!

Taylor Ham Sandwich 2013-06-22Saturday morning, we eagerly went to The Blue Swan for a real NJ diner breakfast. Although I live in Boston and was raised in CT, my family hails from New Jersey. There’s one treat that I only have when I’m in Jersey (which as far as I can tell exists nowhere else) — Taylor ham. I know the classic is Taylor ham on a hard roll with egg & cheese, but I don’t like my meat product adulterated.

The drive to Pittsburgh was most uneventful, except for a lot of whimpering (mostly from Stella) as we passed roadside attractions that we had no time to visit. We were 5 minutes from the venue, according to the GPS, when traffic… just… stopped. Kenny Chesney was to blame, we later learned. Still, we only made it to the lovely Rex Theatre about 20 minutes behind schedule.

Rex
The theatre was great! Big stage! Huge dressing room! Full bar! Wonderful staff!

We met our Special Guest, Smokin’ McQueen, and our wonderful stage kittens, Lita D’Vargas and Abbey B., then set things up, rehearsed a bit, met up with Chris R. (whom we met via The Twitterwife), and headed out to dinner. We went to Cambod-Ican Kitchen (noteworthy for the world’s most secure bathroom key). It wasn’t so much Cambodian as I’ve had it before, but the chicken and vegetable stir-fry was just the perfect pre-show meal.

The show went wonderfully. There were several photographers there, so expect to see more pictures! (Teaser photo by Colin Sheehy.) The audience was fantastic, enthusiastic, and begged us to return. And they bought a ton of merch. Abbey, who was acting as Merch Girl as well as Stage Kitten, was amazing! She refolded all the t-shirts, did an inventory count, and kept meticulous notes.

Here’s a little behind the scenes tidbit: the big framed canvas is assembled with a lot of nuts & bolts of various sizes and we discovered that they kept vibrating apart in transit, making us scramble to find all the %&$*# washers. After I finished my fan dance/silhouette act (hence the framed canvas…), I picked up my fans in the blackout and the nut popped off the left-hand one, spraying washers everywhere in the darkness. I did manage to get it into some semblance of fan shape to screen me on my walk back to the dressing room. Thank goodness it happened at the *end* of the number. But lesson learned to check *all* bolts.

After the show we had many hands helping us pack up all our stuff so that it went super-fast. When we were finished loading stuff onto the car, lovely Lita, in her short leopard print dress & heels, tied a chiffon scarf over her hair, donned a pair of sunglasses and hopped on the back of a motorcycle. It was one of the most marvelous things ever. I wish I had a picture.

After a show, we like to have a celebrational libation or two. We hoped to find a quiet cocktail lounge to chat with Chris and her friend Steve, but such things do not exist where we were (plenty of loud bars, yes). Steve pointed out that we were mere minutes from his house and there he had mead and a nice backyard. After a quick stop at Primanti Bros. so Stella could satisfy a life-long desire, we were settled into a charming courtyard with our sandwiches and home-made lingonberry mead.

After too short a time, we had to say our goodbyes, as we had another hour to drive before we slept. We will definitely be returning to Pittsburgh!

Coming soon: Sunday and the longest day ever.

M2

Published in: on 27 June 2013 at 11:42 am  Leave a Comment  
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Show on the Road: Friday 6/21

Dear Constant Reader,

First, a few reminders:

Vote for The Boston Babydolls for “Best Theatre Group” and B.A.B.E. for “Best Dance Classes“!

Buy your tickets to The Teaseday Club on July 9th in my name!

babydollmobileBright and early Friday morning Brigitte, Stella, Scratch & I loaded up the trusty Babydoll-mobile with our trunks of costumes and props and headed south to Asbury Park, NJ for the premier of The Fine Art of Burlesque at Asbury Lanes. Part of loading up involved me sliding under the car to secure the cargo carrier. This amused Brigitte greatly: “Oh, the glamourous life!” she said “I suspect there’s a blog post in the future.” And then she regretted not taking a picture.

The plan was that we’d get to the venue around 3pm, get set up, meet our Special Guest and stage kittens, rehearse a little, have a meal, explore the beach a little. Our show wasn’t starting until 10pm.

Mann macht, Gott lacht. Just around Rye, NY we hit traffic. Oh such traffic. We crawled all the of the way to Asbury Park, subsisting on naught but carrot sticks. Despite the frustrating drive, everyone remained upbeat right up till the end when Stella couldn’t take it any more and suddenly bellowed “SCOTCH!”. I had visions of a St. Bernard with the little cask under its chin coming to save her.

Frame scrim 2013-06-22We got to the venue just before 6pm and scrambled to set up our big setpiece — a framed canvas (Fine Art, get it). I was a little nervous because I made the “canvas” and the first try was too short, despite my careful measuring. I had made a new one just the night before, so it was untested. Fortunately, it was perfect. We were done before the Dr. Sketchy’s started, but just barely.

I have to praise the hospitality at the Asbury Lanes. They comped our dinner, which I hadn’t expected. Everyone was craving cheeseburgers and beer and they provided magnificently.

For this tour we’re using what we think of as “The Burlesque-A-Pades Model”: 3 dancers and Scratch plus a local Special Guest, and local stage kittens. The logistic of dealing with the entire troupe’s schedule (plus cast members and crew) could make one crazy, as happened last year. So, the show is different on each leg of the tour!

Our special guest for the show was Hayley Jane! She was a dream to work with! So professional, talented, and nice. We have an act in which the special guest has a cameo. It’s mostly a matter of posing and looking pretty as an artists model, but there are 2 little bits of choreography. We ran through it with her and she picked it up quickly. On stage, she totally nailed it. I was sad I couldn’t manage to see her act — that picture doesn’t do her stunning costume justice.

The show itself went well and seemed to be received well. After a post-show libation at the bar, we broke everything down, packed up, and loaded up the car. Fortunately the staff asked if we wanted one last check of the dressing room before they locked up, because we hadn’t finished carrying out all the trunks yet. It would have been quite problematic to have left our props in NJ. After all that time on the road, We were so glad our hotel was only a short drive away.

And that was the first day.

M2

Published in: on 25 June 2013 at 3:02 pm  Leave a Comment  
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