Snow. What else is there?

Dear Constant Reader,

Since you last heard from me, Bumps upon a Grind had its last show on Valentine’s Day, as planned, but The Mardi Gras Ball was postponed until March. As for the current state of Boston, go watch this video and add two more feet of snow to those images. It’s beyond horrible.

Fortunately, this weekend is The Great Burlesque Exposition. Hopefully enough people will be willing to venture out of their snug home and come on out for some fabulous burlesque, classes, and shopping. I hope so, because I want there to be an Expo next year too… You can help make that happen!

While I am eagerly anticipating all the shows, The Newcomers’ Showcase on Sunday has a special place in my heart. Many of my students are making their Expo debut and I can’t wait to see them strut their stuff!

M2

Published in: on 18 February 2015 at 3:00 pm  Leave a Comment  

Support the Great Burlesque Exposition

Dear Constant Reader,

This has been a brutal winter in the Boston area. We’ve gotten more snow than I am tall with no end in sight. People are staying in, mostly because they can’t get out! And that’s really hurting The Great Burlesque Exposition. The event is going to be running in the red this year — and next year is supposed to be a super-special, extra-glorious, 10th anniversary event. But it can’t happen if the coffers are totally empty.

For the first time in its nine-year history, The Expo is running a fund-raiser.

Watch the clever video.

Read all about it.

Then, please donate. It doesn’t have to be much. Little gifts add up. If you can’t give something, please spread the word.

Thank you. This is a fabulous event and the burlesque world would be much diminished without it.

M2

Published in: on 11 February 2015 at 9:38 am  Leave a Comment  
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A Recommendation

Dear Constant Reader,

The holidays are fast approaching and there’s a burlesque performer in your life. What little gifts can you give her to show you care? Red Snapper can help you out! Check out her Showgirl Stocking Stuffers on Facebook.

M2

Published in: on 22 December 2014 at 11:21 am  Leave a Comment  
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What Do You Want?

Dear Constant Reader,

I know you’ll read whatever I write, you’re Constant Reader, after all, but I’d prefer to write what you want to read. So here’s my occasional request for input. What do you want from me?

Costuming? Adventures with vintage recipes? Book reviews? Give aways? Back stage peeks? Rehearsal reports? Something I’ve never written about before?

Give me some ideas and I’ll do my best to satisfy you, because without my Constant Reader, I’m just sending missives into the void.

M2

Published in: on 10 December 2014 at 10:53 am  Leave a Comment  

I’m Back

Dear Constant Reader,

We’re back from our little trip to sunny Los Angeles (and it was). We had a wonderful time and I’ll tell you all about it after Thanksgiving.

Oh, and Lili VonSchtupp is the best!

M2

Published in: on 26 November 2014 at 2:37 pm  Leave a Comment  

Thank You

Dear Constant Reader,

Today we honor those who served our country. I was thinking about those I knew that had done so — friends, family members, acquaintances, &c — and the list kept getting longer, so I won’t try to name everyone here for fear of forgetting someone.

To all those who have worn the uniform, thank you.

And to those loved ones who remained at home to support, care, and fear, your contribution was no less. Thank you.

M2

Published in: on 11 November 2014 at 1:11 pm  Leave a Comment  

Busy Babydoll

Dear Constant Reader,

Last week was a whirlwind of activity!

Tuesday: After teaching the last session of “Hot Hips” at B.A.B.E., I ran to Gorelesque Idol and saw Devora and Scratch miss first place by *that* much (really — it was like 3 or 4 votes) with an act that was more Hitchcock than Saw. One of the judges said she would have liked to have seen some blood and got roundly booed by the audience. As Scratch says, we do what we do. And I’m delighted that so many members of the audience, who were clearly there for the gore, liked our creepy little Lost Girl and her puppeteer.

Wednesday: Rehearsal as usual and the last round of auditions for backup dancers for our New Year’s Eve Spectacular. We’re thrilled to be working with some B.A.B.E. alumnae and some brand-new dancers.

Thursday: Scratch & I headed down to NYC to perform at a HUGE party. I’m going to be coy about the client & location. I will write about it further, but for now I’ll just say it was beyond over-the-top and kind of a clusterfuck. However, it was fabulous to share a dressing room with Angie Pontani, Nina La Voix, Deanna Deadly, Vita Lightly, Nonye Brown-West, Bettina May, Di Lovely, and Legs Malone.

Friday: Scratch kindly drove me to Brooklyn and lugged this down a narrow flight of stairs.
It’s a wardrobe trunk with hangers on the left and drawers on the right (the bottom drawer is MIA). It’s heavy as heck, even empty. However, could you imagine loading it up with all your costumes and then having it placed in your dressing room? You could just open it up and be ready to go! And that’s how it was in the old days. And this particular trunk belonged to….

You can see it in person at The Great Burlesque Expo!

When we finally arrived back at Stately Babydoll Manor much later than anticipated, there was this adorable pumpkin pincushion awaiting me from my mother, who understands how important Halloween is to this household.

Saturday: First, Betty and I went to the annual Boston Mensa gathering to teach a burlesque class. The room was packed with enthusiastic participants! It was so much fun. We had promised a G-rated, co-ed class and I was delighted to see a number of guys. None of them were shy about grabbing a boa and bumping & grinding. The conference had a lot of fascinating sessions on a wide variety of topics, but I heard that we were the talk of the weekend. I do wonder if I’m smart enough to join…

In the evening, we played an awesome Halloween party at a fabulous apartment in the North End. (Amazing chalk drawing by our hostess). There was live music from our old friends The Waveriders and we danced a couple numbers in each set. Let’s see if I can remember…

  • Betty danced to “Pipeline” in an adorable bellhop costume
  • Evie, as a cat, danced to “Drums-A-Go-Go”
  • I dressed as a private eye and stripped to the “Peter Gunn Theme”
  • Brigitte tapped her heart out to “Sing, Sing, Sing” in a devil costume
  • I did a fan dance to “Sleepwalk”
  • Betty closed out the show by stripping out of a fantasy harem costume to “Miserlou”

    • I was so glad for that extra hour of sleep on Sunday!

    M2

    Published in: on 5 November 2014 at 1:59 pm  Leave a Comment  
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    A Brief Appeal

    Dear Constant Reader,

    I know you are desperate to hear about my glitter-drenched weekend at BurlyCon, but first I have some serious stuff to tell you about.

    You all know about my deep and true love of Atomic Cosmetics in Seattle, healthy, non-toxic skin care and cosmetics, aimed at the burlesque & drag community, but with serious science behind everything. I went on a little shopping spree at BurlyCon — you’ll hear all about that later.

    I was devastated to get home and learn that the business was in financial peril!

    Dr. Jen is smart (Ph.D. in Biochemistry/Biophysics!) and talented and the business is expanding. However, they were counting on a business loan to fund that growth and it fell through. Without that money, the store can’t stay open. This would be a tragic loss!

    There’s a donation site set up, but it’s not just a hand out. In exchange for your donation, you’ll get a gift certificate for the same amount.

    These are really great products made by great people and I want to see the business grow and thrive. So, please, give them a try. I’m happy to recommend my favorite products. You can feel good about supporting an independent, woman-owned business *and* do something nice for your skin.

    M2

    Published in: on 15 October 2014 at 12:55 pm  Leave a Comment  
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    One of those Glamourous Days

    Dear Constant Reader,

    This very weekend I was living the Glamourous Life. The Boston Babydolls are taking their show on the road again. We are putting on our Halloween revue, Out for Blood in Turner’s Falls, MA this weekend and Brattleboro, VT the following.

    Everyone’s least favorite part of any show is promoting it, but it’s vital to get those proverbial butts in proverbial seats. And unfortunately, sometimes you’ve just got to pound the pavement. And always, the buck stops with the producer.

    Scratch & I made plans to take the lovely show posters and scatter them liberally around the towns of Shelburne Falls, Turner’s Falls, and Brattleboro. And on a warm, but overcast autumnal Saturday, we headed west.

    It started raining. And the further we went, the harder it rained. But promo waits for no weather. We slogged through the downpour, posters carefully wrapped in oh-so-attractive plastic grocery bags, asking at every open business if we could put a poster in the window. I have to say that the folks of Shelburne Falls are universally friendly and almost everyone agreed to let us put up a poster. And it was so hard not to browse the shops, partially because they were all nifty, but mostly because they were dry, but we were working.

    It wasn’t all soggy drudgery. While there was no leaf peeping or sightseeing, there was a lovely respite at Lindsay’s Emerald Store and Confections for mini cream puffs and hot cocoa. As it’s the most wonderful time of the year, mine was a Frankenstein (mint cream & chocolate sauce) and Scratch had a Vampire’s Kiss (vanilla cream & strawberry jam). Also, they have *chocolate* whipped cream for the cocoa and a variety of flavored marshmallows from Sweet Lydia’s in Lowell. And if the weather is less icky, they’re a short walk from the glacial potholes (which I’ll have to see another day).

    After Shelburne Falls, we went to Turner’s Falls to see the theatre. I’m pretty jealous. Not that I’m sorry I’m going to BurlyCon, but it’s a pretty awesome theatre and the ladies that are performing are going really enjoy that stage. And then on to Brattleboro, where besides putting up more posters, we crashed a lingerie shop’s anniversary party and snuck out when the fire department arrived.

    And it’s nice to know the work pays off! While we were visiting the Shea Theatre, there was a call from someone who had just seen one of the posters and wanted to buy tickets.

    I think I’ve finally dried out and managed to salvage my boots. It’s a glamourous life I lead!

    M2

    Published in: on 6 October 2014 at 12:28 pm  Leave a Comment  
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    Upcoming Appearances

    Dear Constant Reader,

    My dance card is getting pretty darn full.

    Up first, B.A.B.E. is presenting a Student Showcase on Tuesday, September 23rd! You’ll see students from the recent Burlesque Your Way class present their creations, plus some alumnae, including Delilah Spring, a founder of the Tasty Pasties, and Beau Blush & Frankie Merlot, founders of The Wortown Bombshells. We’ll have door prizes! Delicious cocktails at the bar! Tickets are only $10!

    In just one week, I’ll be performing at The New York Burlesque Festival on Thursday, September 25th at The Bell House. I’m so excited to be back at NYBF and can’t wait to see some old friends. And go shopping. Because as much as there are many things about Boston that I love, it can’t hold a candle to NYC when it comes to fabric shopping.

    And then it’s Teaseday again! I’ll be performing at The Teaseday Club on Tuesday, October 7th. I’ll be defending my cookie and bringing out some Halloween striptease for you. Tickets are only $10 until September 30 — you know who to buy yours for!

    Then I’m heading all the way across the country for BurlyCon. It was kind of a last minute thing, but the stars aligned properly so I could go. And Scratch was willing to give me his membership. This year I *might* actually leave the hotel and see people that I never get to see.

    OfB-mediumThat same weekend, on October 10 & 11, many of the remaining Boston Babydolls with be presenting Out for Blood at the Shea Theatre in Turner’s Falls, MA.
    The next weekend it’s my turn to appear in Out for Blood. We’ll be at The Hooker-Dunham Theatre in Brattleboro, VT on October 17 & 18.

    See you soon!

    M2

    Published in: on 18 September 2014 at 2:51 pm  Leave a Comment  
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