Dear Constant Reader,
You probably heard that we had a very bad day here in Boston yesterday. I’m sure you’ll understand if I take a little break from reporting on my Expo exploits today.
All The Boston Babydolls and our extended burlesque family are fine. Sad and shaken, but safe.
I want to thank our friends and fellow performers from around the world who checked in and sent well wishes yesterday. Your love and concern was quite overwhelming.
Dear Constant Reader,
I promise I will get back to my notes about The Expo, but I just spent a glorious long weekend in sunny Florida and need to take care of a little neglected business.
But I did want to let you know that you can see me at the first meeting of The Teaseday Club tonight at The Davis Square Theatre along with Alissa Coates, Amber Rane, Delilah Spring, Sally the Altar Boy, Stella Diamond, Vikki Likkerish and Ol’ Scratch.
Also, if you’re a dancer, actor, or any kind of movement-based performer, you want to take the Body Language for Performers Workshop at B.A.B.E. on Saturday. Joe Paul Williams is an amazing instructor — he will blow your mind and open your eyes. I cannot do his fabulousness justice, so just come take the workshop. At $35 for 3 hours, it’s a bargain and you’ll leave inspired. I promise.
Dear Constant Reader,
I’m home from The Great Burlesque Exposition of 2013, exhausted but glowing! It was a fabulous event and I promise I will tell you all about it: the shows, the classes, the shopping, and the parties.
But right now, I need to get back to the real world and take care of everything I ignored during 3 days of sparkles and fun (and one day of lifting & toting).
Dear Constant Reader,
I’m running a little contest to give away a fun and educational book. All you have to do is leave me a question on this post before midnight on Wednesday.
As you ask questions, I’ll answer them, as best I can.
Red Snapper asks: Where do you get your bulk rhinestones? I tend to shop locally and mix the grades of stones, but I’d love to buy bulk Swarovskis online if it’s more cost effective. I assume your stones for the pasties were an online purchase.
She’s talking about these pasties that we’re wearing at The Expo. I got the stones at Fire Mountain Gems. They’re a great resource for bulk rhinestones. You can buy by the dozen, the gross, and 10 gross. If you buy more than 15 units of anything, your price goes down. They don’t have every color, but their selection has gotten much better since I started shopping there years ago.
For smaller orders, I like Artbeads. They frequently have sales on Swarovski elements (like right now).
Always happy to do my part to make more shiny in the world.
Dear Constant Reader,
Please vote for The Boston Babydolls every day!
No book review today. I’m currently reading No Applause–Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous and Drinking with Men. At least one of them will be reviewed some time in the future.
As I don’t have much to say on this gloomy Wednesday, I ask you, O Constant Reader, what do you want to hear from me?
Dear Constant Reader,
Please vote for The Boston Babydolls every day!
My last couple of missives were rather time consuming to put together, so today you get a short one.
I’ve heard a rumor that voting is only open for another week or so, so go vote, vote, vote (The Phoenix wants you to vote *every day*!). You know we’re the best, so let everyone know it. And then we’ll have a big Victory Party!
And if that approach didn’t work, allow me to play on your sympathies: I got some bad news about one of our projects yesterday and I’m coming down with a cold. You vote would cheer me up immensely.
Lastly, I’ll try bribery. Here’s a photo of me fan dancing at the 2012 Victory Party to “Jezebel”, sung by Miss Imani with Stella & Alissa backing her up. Photo by John L. Bilotti.
Dear Constant Reader,
Please vote for The Boston Babydolls every day!
And the birthday festivities consisted of:
A little time to lounge on the day bed and read a long-hoarded book. (The Wind Through the Keyhole.)
Lunch at Myers + Chang. (It’s my pick for “Best Chinese Restaurant“)
A nearly private screening of A Good Day to Die Hard. (Yes, that was my choice. I like action movies. And Bruce Willis.)
A drink at the Ritz Bar. (I know it’s called the Taj these days, but to Spenser fans, it will always be The Ritz.)
All in all, a lovely day.
Dear Constant Reader,
Please vote for The Boston Babydolls every day!
It’s my birthday today! The perfect gift would be for you to vote for The Boston Babydolls!
Scratch has some surprise planned for me, so I’ll be away from my writing desk for most of the day.
Dear Constant Reader,
Please vote for The Boston Babydolls every day!
Busy day today. We’re off to a corporate gig in Rhode Island shortly where we’ll be staging two performances of a classic revue, mostly featuring The July Project. Then back to Babydoll HQ for rehearsal.
Next Saturday is the last performance of The Bod of Avon. Last chance to see a show that’s been called “gorgeous”, “beautiful”, “brilliant”, “sexy and hilarious”.
Today is Stella’s birthday! Wish her a happy one! (stella@bostonbabydolls.com) Diamonds, long-stemmed roses, and Italian lingerie would also be happily accepted. Or you could just vote for us. That would make her happy too.
And here’s your reward for voting:
Devora Darling performing at the 2012 Victory Party to The Unluckiest Band with Alissa Coates singing. Photo by John L. Bilotti.
Dear Constant Reader,
My apologies, this goes out a day late, but your faithful correspondent was at the dentist yesterday and her entire schedule went keflewie (that’s a technical term) as a result.
A very happy 102* to the greatest Lady of Burlesque, Gypsy Rose Lee!
For your pleasure, here’s a little picture of Gypsy:
This is the program from her 1949 tour, from The Boston Babydoll Collection. And here’s a photo of her autographing one of those very same programs!
And just for fun, here’s Devora Darling, all dressed up for her Gypsy tribute act, “A Stripteaser’s Education” during the Madame Burlesque tour and the photo that inspired the costume.**
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For more Gypsy goodness, you could read her famous memoir, Gypsy: Memoirs of America’s Most Celebrated Stripper, her novels, The G-String Murders and Mother Finds a Body, or listen to her on the albums Gypsy Rose Lee Remembers Burlesque and That’s Me All Over. Not to mention all the movies inspired by her writings: Gypsy, Lady of Burlesque, and Doll Face.
There’s also her son’s memoir Gypsy and Me: At Home and on the Road With Gypsy Rose Lee (also called My G-String Mother: At Home and Backstage with Gypsy Rose Lee).
And then there is a plethora of other books about her: American Rose: A Nation Laid Bare: The Life and Times of Gypsy Rose, Stripping Gypsy: The Life of Gypsy Rose Lee, Gypsy: The Art of the Tease, and Lady of Burlesque: The Career of Gypsy Rose Lee.
Not bad for someone who described herself as “no talent”!
*Probably. Her mother had a fluid relationship with the truth and thought nothing of forging birth certificates to raise or lower her daughters’ ages when the situation arose.
**That’s not actually Gypsy; it’s Burgundy Brixx as Gypsy. Our costumer didn’t look too closely…
Oh, The Glamourous Life! 