Oh, The Glamourous Life!

Dear Constant Reader,

Last night marked one year since the BeauTease appeared on stage in front of an audience. We were in Taste O’ Burlesque at Thunder Road, bookending the competition. If you want to see the show, much of it is here. We were starting to worry about the approaching epidemic. I had made Guilted Lilly a basket to take on her woodland frolics and when she went to hug me, for a moment, I thought “should I do this?”. I’m so glad I accepted her bountiful embrace, because it was the last time I would touch someone who wasn’t living in my house for many months.

Since then Thunder Road has closed for good and we’ve done five virtual shows (I’ll write about that experience another time). I miss performing live. I miss it so much. I keep thinking about being backstage, getting ready for a show. Chatting with the other troupe members, checking in with the stage hands. Everyone knows what to do — we hang the banners, put together the clothing racks and unpack the costumes, set out snacks (most often Devastasia). It’s fun. It’s hard to imagine that we didn’t have to wear masks and keep our distance.

The best part is being in front of the audience. Something changes when there are people there. A lot of performers talk about the energy of the audience and it’s true. There’s a connection and you each feed off each other’s excitement. Having people to play off, even if it’s just tossing a smile over here or directing a bump over there, makes such a huge difference in performance. Sure, I give my best to the camera (or try to), but I don’t feel as playful or spontaneous as when I’m in front of people. There’s a reason we say “the magic of live theatre”.

I can’t believe it’s been a year. I miss you all.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 14 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader,

This book has been kicking around the library at The Manor for a while. Since it was published, about a decade ago, a lot has changed, but it was sort of a nice trip down memory lane.

Burlesque: The True Art of Seduction by Michel Grondin and Scarlett James, 2011.

I would call this a coffee table book. It’s big, heavy, graphically bold, kinda slick, and full of photos. Montreal burlesque performer Scarlett James graces the cover. There’s not that much text — there’s a lot of white space and some very large fonts. There are a lot of bright colors throughout. Each topic or person has a couple of pages lightly-filled with text or images and usually a quote from Scarlett James with her thoughts on the featured subject. The version I have is a translation from French, so the language is occasionally clunky and the spelling can be erratic.

The first 3 chapters are a history of burlesque from Classical Greece and Rome through the 1960s in America. The third chapter, “American Burlesque” features Legends of burlesque, some long gone, a few still with us (or were at the time). Most, if not all of the living Legends are shown with Scarlett James. There’s an additional two pages briefly mentioning other performers of note, which I found it a little surprising at some of who were relegated to this “also” list.

More than half the book is chapter 4, Neo-Burlesque. It’s loosely arranged geographically, first by country, and then city. Some of the top performers of the time (some of whom still are) make an appearance and notable festivals are mentioned. There are again light write-ups and some large photographs. Although the bulk of the neo-burlesque performers featured are in the US, there is ample coverage of Canada, as you might expect, plus highlighting burlesque in Europe, Japan, and Australia. Full disclosure: Scratch, the Burlesque Expo, and I get a mention (Scarlett likes Scratch’s suits!).

It’s a very pretty book. There’s no in-depth history or detailed biography, just a little taste of burlesque in an attractive package. I don’t think it’s the sort of book one would read cover to cover, but instead flip through and see what catches your eye — and the pages are quite eye-catching. Perhaps you’ll use it as a springboard for further investigation. But really, it’s very pretty.

(Affiliate links in this post benefit the American Burlesque Collection, a 501(c)(3) non-profit)

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my 14 Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader,

Today’s review was suggested by one of my Patrons, Sarah V. If you’d like to suggest items for me to review, you can join my Patreon at the “Advisory Committee” tier.

Forbidden City: The Golden Age of Chinese Nightclubs by Trina Robbins (2010)

This was a particularly timely suggestion as Coby Yee, who is included in the book, was honored at this past BurlyCon.

Trina Robbins was taking tap dance lessons with some women who turned out to be former performers from the Asian nightclubs that proliferated in San Francisco from the 1930s to the 1960s. She wanted their stories to be more widely known, but hesitated to tell it as she’s not Asian. Instead, she let them speak for themselves. The book is a compilation of interviews with people involved with the nightclubs and photos from the heyday.

San Francisco had a number of Chinese nightclubs, mostly on Grant Avenue, with Asian owners and performers but mostly non-Asian audiences, including many celebrities.The best known club was the Forbidden City, originally owned by Charlie Low and later by Coby Yee. Other clubs included the Kubla Khan, the Lion’s Den, and the Chinese Palace.

The book is divided into the following chapters.
The Clubs introduces the nightclubs and those who ran them.
The Golden Age 1937-1950 tells stories from when the the Chinese nightclubs were at the height of their popularity. 
In The Silver Age The 1950s-1970 the Chinese nightclubs, like other nightclubs, lost customers as culture shifted away from glamorous floorshows.
Grant Avenue Follies is about the non-profit dance troupe formed by veterans of the nightclubs.
Curtain Call lists the interview subjects and “where are they now”.
Addendum is a photo tour of the sites of the former nightclubs.

The first four chapters are filled with interviews from those connected to the clubs and plenty of photos. There are also a few newspaper articles. The author adds a tiny bit of commentary and context at the beginning of each one, but for the most part she just lets the history be told by those who lived it.

My only real disappointment was that there was no information about Noel Toy, The Chinese Sally Rand. I had been hoping to learn more about her, but instead there were plenty of other performers with fascinating stories. I was particularly struck by the one about Jadin Wong having to jump out of a military plane as she was headed to entertain the troops. She did the show despite her wardrobe and makeup having gone down with the plane. 

Trina Robbins has done a great service by preserving the words and stories of the people who remember this bit of entertainment history.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader,

We are now officially in “the holiday season”, which is stressful enough under normal circumstances, and these times are far from normal.

Enjoy what you like and let others do the same.

Do what makes you happy and no shaming of anyone else’s joy. Let everyone deal with things in their own way, okay?

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader,

The other night we were having barbecue to celebrate Scratch’s birthday. I thought this dish from 250 Delectable Dessert Recipes might make a complimentary dessert. It was good, but not in the way I expected. It’s not very sweet and makes a much better side dish. I thought I would share it here in case you’re looking for a not-so-sweet sweet potato dish for your Thanksgiving table.

You will need sweet potatoes, honey or syrup, eggs, butter, milk, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, raisins, black walnuts.

The recipe itself couldn’t be simpler. Grate the potatoes, melt the butter, beat the eggs, and combine everything together. Pour into a buttered baking dish and bake. Top with more walnuts.

A few notes:
I cut the recipe in half, since the original was supposed to serve 6. They didn’t say what size baking dish to use, so I grabbed a 9″ pie pan. This amount filled it completely and I would say serves 8.

I used maple syrup for the sweetener, but I’m sure agave would work fine, or honey, like they say. I also used almond milk, like I almost always do. You could probably sub other dried fruit for the raisins. I’d probably also add a bit more than the recipe calls for.

The recipe specifically calls for black walnuts, but they’re not so easy to get. Our neighbor has a tree that drops nuts into my backyard, so I collect and process them (which is *very* labor intensive. They’ve got a very distinctive bleu cheese-y taste and really want to be toasted before using. I see no reason you couldn’t use English walnuts, or any other nut. Pecans or hazelnuts would probably be quite delicious.

(slices missing because I forgot to take a picture before I cut into it)

Here’s the recipe just as it appeared in the 1953 cookbook 250 Delectable Dessert Recipes.

Black Walnut Sweet Potato Pudding
1 pound uncooked sweet potatoes, grated
1/2 cup honey or sirup
3 eggs, well beaten
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 cups sweet milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger or allspice
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup black walnut meats

Mix all ingredients together and pour into a buttered baking dish. Bake in slow oven (325F) 1 hour, stirring occasionally, for 6.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader,

I know I haven’t been around much, but I’ve been a little busy. For the past two weeks, BurlyCon has been happening virtually. I’ve been trying to cram in as many classes as I can, preferably live, but catching the recordings when need be. And I taught twice. Plus we’ve been filming The BeauTease Holiday Special. It’s going to be a lot of fun!

Also upcoming, Betty Blaize will be back at B.A.B.E. with another makeup class! In Hot for the Holidays, she teaches you a 1940s pinup look, perfect for your socially distanced holiday party. It’s December 12, 2PM EST; price is Pay-What-You-Can ($15 suggested).

And now for your tip!

Press your seams three times. Once flat to set the stitching, once from the inside to open the seam, and once on the outside to really get the open seam flat.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s Friday again! I’m up at The American Burlesque Collection for the opening of Halloween Comes to Burlesqueland, running through November 15. But I wouldn’t forget your tip!

If you need sparkle quickly and cheaply, attach sequins with glitter paint.

Sometimes, especially this time of year, we often need costumes or props we’re only going to use for one show or only once a year. You don’t want to waste your precious time or rhinestones on something like that. 

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page. Or you can just tip me if you liked this.