Oh, The Glamourous Life!

Dear Constant Reader,

I love what I do and I try to give you a light-hearted look backstage without too many of the truly gory details. That said, last night was a real challenge and I’m going to share it with you.

There were some scheduling mishaps with the Davis Square Theatre and The Teaseday Club found itself needing a temporary home for June and July.

The Uniun, a new event space in Union Square was available and seemed to fit the bill. It was still under going renovations when we did the fashion show for Kawaii-Me in early April, but Scratch was assured it would be ready in a couple of weeks. They could provide seating and sound equpiment. However, he’d have to bring in his own lighting gear and some pipe & drape. Extra work and hassle, but we’ve certainly done it before. And it’s better than having no show.

When the set up crew arrived, they found, in Scratch’s words, a shithole. The site was still under construction, it was full of old furniture, construction debris, and other random junk, it was dirty, and there were no bathrooms. It was in no way ready to be a venue.

I got there in the late afternoon and over Scratch’s objections (“you’re dressed nicely”) began shuttling junk (a child’s bicycle, a table, some exit signs, even more) into what might someday be a bathroom. We swept up as best we could.

We shifted the various couches and armchairs around to try to make some seating and there were a few random folding chairs. I guess that’s what they meant by providing seating. Eventually, very late in the game, some guys came and removed a small amount of junk from inside and outside the space. Some of the debris was cleared from the space we’d used as a dressing room for the fashion show to make it such again.

At this point, the tech crew was trying to figure out why the sound system (which the venue provided, remember) was making everything sound like it was underwater and why one of Brigitte’s songs wouldn’t play at all. Through some wizardry Brigitte’s song was fixed, but there was something really wrong with those speakers and the sound quality was terrible for the whole show.

I was so unhappy. The students from Brigitte’s intermediate class were performing for the first time and I wanted to give them a really good experience. Fortunately, they seemed to take the situation in stride.

I need to give huge credit to Lia, Kendra, Nick, and Scratch for creating a minor miracle out of a potential disaster. Anything that was good about the show is due to them (and the performers, of course).

Thank you for bearing with my litany of complaints. On with the show!

Scratch hosted, Heather was in the box office, Lia on sound, Kendra on lights, Nick was follow spot operator, and Elyse was the stage kitten*. We also had video and photography, which I’ll share when they’re ready.

Set 1

Mina Murray: I opened the show with a fan dance to my signature song, “My Room”. I don’t do this version very often as it requires some specialized lighting, but it’s my favorite.

Scratch did something amazing, defying the laws of physics.

Bob DiCicco sang “Luck Be a Lady”, which Scratch declared was better than Marlon Brando’s version, but that’s damning with faint praise. Bob is a fabulous crooner.

Brigitt Bisoux stripped to “Tombstone Blues”, a perennial favorite.

Michele Mortensen bills herself as “The Lady Comic”, but she’s hardly ladylike in her stand-up set about sex, relationships and other adult matters.

Lastly, Scratch took a few moments to bring Pinky Petite, one of the original Boston Babydolls, up on stage. Pinky performed with us in our early shows, like The Dollhouse at Axis (back when there was an Axis), Out for Blood, our very first Halloween show, and when we competed at Miss Exotic World. She moved to L.A. where she still performs. It was great to see her again!

Then we all took a break.

Set 2
Brigitte Bisoux and Mina Murray opened the show with a little vignette we like to call “Mistress and Maid” about a naughty maid and her mistress’s skill with a hairbrush. Created for The Wrathskellar, Brigitte and I haven’t done this duet in a couple of years. We had so much fun with it!

Bob DiCicco sang “My Kind of Town” with some clever substitutions to make it local.

Michele Mortensen did some more stand-up followed by a song that sounded sort of familiar, but I don’t think those were the original lyrics…

There was a brief distraction here while Brigitte annoyed Scratch in a classic bit of burlesque comedy.

Brigitte Bisoux is the cutest ballplayer ever, stripping off her Red Sox uniform (new skirt by yours truly) to “Sweet Caroline”.

And now the moment everyone had been waiting for…

In April, Brigitte began teaching a routine to the intermediate students at B.A.B.E. They spent 6 weeks learning it from her and then diligently practiced it on their own for most of May. This was their burlesque debut. It’s a tough thing to take your clothes off in front of an audience and dance well while doing it.

They did a wonderful job! They dealt with all the glitches of the day with grace and behaved professionally backstage. Brigitte had created a terrific choreography to Postmodern Jukebox’s rendition of “Sweet Child O’ Mine” and they performed it beautifully. I’m so proud of them all!

Normally this is the point where I announce the Cookie Queen, but Scratch declared that everyone was a winner and passed out cookies to all performers.

Next month The Teaseday Club will be at Naga in the back room at Moksa in Central Square. The line-up includes comedy from Nonye Brown-West, the lovely voice of Alissa Coates, burlesque from Peril S. Curves, Dagny Vanderlust in her farewell to Boston, and very special guest, Miss Hollywood Burlesque, Sheila Starr Siani!

And just to leave you with a touch of the Glamourous Life, as if this all wasn’t enough. Sometimes zippers get vicious.

This was my back after Brigitte and I rehearsed our duet on Monday and my dress was off-center when she zipped me up. I didn’t even feel it at the time. Brigitte put some cover-up make up on it last night and hopefully the audience didn’t even notice.

How we suffer for art!

* She’s a fantastic stage kitten. Not only does she work really hard and very well, she had put together an “Oh Shit! Kitten Kit” full of things a performer might need in a backstage emergency. And she had to clean up 10 dancers’ costumes and deal with the elaborate stage set up for “Mistress & Maid”. She rocks.