Review: Candy Barr

Dear Constant Reader,

It’s Wednesday and that means a book review!

Candy Barr: The Small-Town Texas Runaway Who Became a Darling of the Mob and the Queen of Las Vegas Burlesque by Ted Schwarz (2008).

Candy Barr’s story is not a pretty one. Born Juanita Slusher in rural Texas, she suffered abuse from a young age. As a teenager, she ran away to Dallas, hoping only for a job and the chance to dance. Instead she found herself forced into prostitution and porn. Bright, beautiful, and a talented dancer, she managed not to be crushed by her horrible situation and escaped to become a headlining burlesque dancer. There were a few shining years as a star in Las Vegas and Los Angeles before forces beyond her control again tried to bring her low. She seemed destined never to have a quiet life.

Because Candy/Juanita was alive while the book was being written (she died in 2005), it is full of quotes and memories direct from the source. The author does tend to play the martyr card a little too much. He often portrays the dancer as a naive innocent, caught up in a vast conspiracy to destroy her. The chronology is occasionally hard to follow as the author sometimes jumps ahead or back to provide a better flow to the story.

Her story is one of survival against terrible odds rather than one of glamour and glitter. The descriptions of her dancing will make you wish you were one of the lucky ones in the audience.

Published in: on 16 November 2011 at 11:54 am  Leave a Comment  
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The Other Boston Marathon

Dear Constant Reader,

Last year there was this movie called “Burlesque”. We all knew it was going to have nothing to do with the kind of burlesque that we did and Scratch decided a little public education was necessary.

The weekend before the movie was released, he organized a burlesque marathon. 8 hours of burlesque, all night long. Performers from all over New England. Home-made bagels for the survivors. Crazy, no?

And it actually happened, despite chaos and disasters major and minor. There was a wonderful camaraderie backstage as we helped one another change costume, lug props, solve last minute problems. And the guys in the tech booth were big heroes. Come dawn that theatre was simply covered in glitter… and coffee cups. You can read all about it here.

And for some reason people wanted to do it again. And somehow Scratch agreed to do it again.

Please join us for the Second (Annual?) Burlesque Marathon starting this Saturday at 11:59 and running until 8am on Sunday!

Published in: on 15 November 2011 at 10:20 am  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip!

Dear Constant Reader,

Today’s tip comes from Betty Blaize.

You can’t overestimate the impact of an eyelash curler for making your eyes look bigger. When the lash is framing your eye, not covering your eye, the impact is enormous.

Published in: on 11 November 2011 at 4:02 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Thank you!

Dear Constant Reader,

The Boston Babydolls won the 2011 Dig This Award for “Best Lowbrow/Burlesque”! It wouldn’t have been possible without your support. Thank you all for voting!

We’re never complaisant about these things — who knows which way voting will go? We’re grateful for our loyal (and vocal!) fans. For you, we constantly strive to improve our shows and always bring you the best burlesque.

As winners, we got to attend the Dig’s party last night, which was a heck of a lot of fun. We arrived in style in the Babydollmobile — Scratch’s 1956 Packard — and were greeted by our personal paparazza who took pictures throughout the night. Maybe I’ll even share some of them.

And now, onward and upward. We’re preparing to participate in The Burlesque Marathon next weekend and we’re already working on our Valentine’s Day show, Unlucky in Love, at the Davis Square Theatre.

Published in: on 10 November 2011 at 12:08 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Review: Pretty Things

Dear Constant Reader,

Today’s book has a lot of information on one of my favorite topics — costumes!

Pretty Things: The Last Generation of American Burlesque Queens by Liz Goldwyn (2006).

After making her documentary, also called Pretty Things, Ms. Goldwyn returned to her original focus, burlesque costumes, with this book. There’s lots of fabulous information about two prolific costumers with photos, sketches, pages from their account books, &c. Some of the sketches even still have fabric and trim samples attached. It’s marvelous inspiration.

The book also discusses burlesque in general and certain performers in specific, liberally illustrated with photographs and scrapbook pages. The biographies of Betty Rowland, Dian Rowland, June St. Claire, Lois de Fee, and Zorita are livened with first-hand stories from interviews conducted with some of the remaining “last generation”. I was a little surprised that despite numerous quotations from Sherry Britton, she didn’t rate a chapter of her own.

Ms. Goldwyn clearly loves her subject and her sources, but she’s not a dazzling writer. There are the occasional clunkers like the dancer who was “riding a horse wearing a white feather bikini”. Even if you skipped the text and just looked at the illustrations, this book would be worth it.

Published in: on 9 November 2011 at 12:20 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Costumes — evidence!

Dear Constant Reader,

A little while ago I talked about costumes for The Wrathskellar. Betty Blaize, as I pointed out, had made 2 new costumes for herself. And because I think you deserve a treat, here they are:

This costume was made for an act we called “The Tango of Death”. The bra and unseen hip belt are made from sari fabric, decorated with red crystals and red Egyptian glass fringe. The jacket and skirt are created from sequined fabric and trimmed with red feathers. Her matching headpiece was designed so that she could more easily balance a sword on her head.

If you saw The Wrathskellar, this was the costume for the number with all the hands (if you didn’t, boy, did you miss out…). Some of the design influences here were steampunk (the jacket) and Indian dance (the skirt). Betty had to be careful in designing this outfit since some elements were going to be removed by others and she was going to be dancing quite vigorously, albeit in a small space. Just imaging how all that fringe flew when Betty executed her trademark shimmies… And some of the large beads actually flew off!

Until next time, dear reader.

Published in: on 7 November 2011 at 2:48 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip!

Dear Constant Reader,

This week’s tip is inspired by a class on chair dance I’m teaching to the more advanced students at B.A.B.E.

When using a chair in your routine, bring your own chair to the venue. Do not expect the venue to have a chair you can use. You might need a straight-back chair and end up with a barstool, a swiveling office chair, or something broken.

And it’s always nice to perform with a chair that you’ve rehearsed with, so you know all its quirks.

P.S. Voting for the Weekly Dig’s “Dig This” awards ends tonight! You can vote as often as you like. Please vote for the Boston Babydolls for “Best Burlesque”!

Published in: on 4 November 2011 at 10:35 am  Leave a Comment  
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Review: Dita: Stripteese

Dear Constant Reader,

Today’s “book” is a little different.

Dita: Stripteese. by Dita von Teese and Sheryl Nields (2009).

At first glance this is a dainty pink book tied shut with a satin ribbon. In actuality it’s a box containing three tiny flip books. Each book can be riffled front to back and then back to front to display one of Dita’s signature acts in “motion”.

The collection contains her Bird of Paradise act, Martini Glass act, and a striptease in a vintage outfit. The flipping only gives a so-so presentation of each act, but unlike pausing a video, each still photo is crisp and clear, if small. One can feast one’s eyes on every detail… of her costumes.

It’s a cute idea and the presentation is charming. Recommended for Dita fans.

P.S. Just a reminder… We’ve been nominated for “Best Burlesque” by the Weekly Dig. Please vote for us!

Published in: on 2 November 2011 at 12:47 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Costumes

Dear Constant Reader,

There are many elements important to our shows and just one of them is costumes. However, costumes are my favorite part, so that’s what I’m going to write about today.

Madame Burlesque was incredibly challenging when it came to costumes; almost everything was made new for that show. The costumes were elaborate and plentiful. Fortunately, we had costumers on the crew, but everyone had to pitch in at least a little.

For The Wrathskellar we had the luxury of re-using some of the costumes that were made last year. The wenches, Hans, Bücher, and The Lost Girl were able to take their costumes straight out of the closet. Most of my costumes were from my collection, so I was available to work for others.

Most of my time was spent making a corset for The Broad. I love corsetry — when it’s completed. I curse a lot when I’m constructing it. : ) And I made her some pasties. And a few other things for her and for The Innocent.

Devora Darling has proven to be a champ at decorating bras, so she took over the under-needs of a group number, with Betty Blaize handling the outer garments and pasties (the most disturbing pasties ever).

Betty is an amazing costumer and, besides the work she did for others, she made two entirely new costumes for herself, in a very short amount of time. Do note that a burlesque costume has multiple layers and in many cases, the inside has to look as good as the outside. When you come see the show (and you should — don’t take my word for it) take a good look at her stunning costumes.

P.S. Just a reminder… We’ve been nominated for “Best Burlesque” by the Weekly Dig. Please vote for us!

Published in: on 27 October 2011 at 10:28 am  Leave a Comment  
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Review: United States of Americana

Dear Constant Reader,

What does today’s book have to do with burlesque? Take a look at the full title.

United States of Americana: Backyard Chickens, Burlesque Beauties, and Handmade Bitters: A Field Guide to the New American Roots Movement by Kurt B. Reighley and Aaron Bagley (2010).

There are many people in America seeking a return to a time past, when things made by hand were quality and had value. It’s not a nostalgia movement, pining for things that once were, but a new appreciation of craftsmanship.

This “field guide” highlights old-school products that are still made as well as new ones in the same vein. It showcases back-to-basics endeavors like chicken raising, straight-razor shaving, classic bartending, &c. The music section stands out as being a somewhat different format from the rest and clearly the author’s passion. Most of the focus is on the Pacific Northwest, the author’s home.

So, what about burlesque? The last section is on entertainment: burlesque and circus. It’s focused on the burlesque revival in Seattle with a little bit about New York. There’s some history as well. There’s a little overlap between the burlesque and circus sections, but it boils down to about 10 pages specifically on burlesque.

I can’t recommend this as a burlesque book — the percentage of information specifically on burlesque is too low. It’s not a bad book if you’re also interested in such eclectic topics as styling a mustache, buying a bespoke suit, and home canning. If you just want to learn about the burlesque revival, try Burlesque and the New Bump-n-Grind instead.

P.S. Just a reminder… We’ve been nominated for “Best Burlesque” by the Weekly Dig. Please vote for us!

Published in: on 26 October 2011 at 9:58 am  Leave a Comment  
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