Photoshoot 10/15

Dear Constant Reader,

The Boston BeauTease recently had a photoshoot! It had been well over a year since our last one and we needed some pictures of Devastasia, our newest member, and some promo photos for Panties Inferno (this Saturday!).

We were fortunate enough to secure the services of the very talented Chuck Jones and Altar Boy Photography. I haven’t seen them all yet, but here’s a little tease for you.


Scratch, Devastasia, Betty Blaize, and me being devilish! You can see the real thing on Saturday.

There are also some action shots of Betty with her giant dice and Devastasia and the Wall of Death. Of course there are a bunch with me and my favorite set of fans. There were even a few of Scratch.

I managed to sneak in a couple of personal shoots, which my Patrons get to see first. One features shoes once worn by Dita Von Tease and in another I’m wearing a birthday gift from Kitten Natividad (she gets to see those before anyone else).

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page.

Published in: on 24 October 2017 at 4:57 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Bad Luck Burlesque 10/13

Dear Constant Reader,

Over the summer The Boston BeauTease performed at Deacon Giles Speakeasy Lab in Salem, thanks to a connection made by Brigitte. The show went so well that they asked us back. Friday the 13th seemed like a great date for a show in Salem in October. Since the last show practically sold out, we had TWO seatings of this show and they both completely sold out.

Scratch, Devastasia, Artemisia, and I went up early so we could visit the Peabody Essex Museum for It’s Alive! Classic Horror and Sci-Fi Art from the Kirk Hammett Collection. It’s highly worth it, even if it means going into Salem in the high season. The collection is excellent, with most of the important films represented, and some I didn’t know (I must see Asta Nielsen’s Hamlet). The exhibit is also very well presented with simple lighting effects used to create mood — I’ve always been fond of gobos — and projected film clips of the most iconic characters on the walls.

After that delightful interlude, it was time to head to the venue.

The Speakeasy is a small space and like so many bars, there’s no permanent stage, but the good folks there made us one out of four pallets and a sheet of plywood. Before you get all snobby at me, it was actually better than some of the soggy carpeted stages at rock clubs I’ve played. And Brigitte’s taps sounded great. We had a huge dressing room space back in the distillery proper and everyone did their best to make sure we had a great experience. And we did.

The show went something like this:

Betty Blaize, Artemisia Vulgaris: That’s Life (Frank Sinatra arrangement)
Betty decided to embody the “Bad Luck” aspect of our show and came out on a crutch with a sling and neck brace, as Artemisia sang. As she stripped, she also stripped away her injuries her her trademark goofy style.

Brigitte Bisoux: In the Mood (Glenn Miller)
Disproving the superstition that it’s bad luck to open an umbrella indoors, Brigitte tapped her heart out. Here’s a little taste from her rehearsal.

Mina Murray: Moon Over Bourbon Street (Sting)
This is a brand new act from a suggestion by Scratch. I was delighted to have permission to use a song from outside of our usual aesthetic and also to wear one of my Catherine D’Lish robes.

Artemisia Vulagaris: Creep (PMJ arrangement)
Artemisia showcased her lovely voice with this not too creepy song.

Devastasia: Ding Dong the Witch is Dead (Ella Fitzgerald)
We couldn’t come to Salem in October without presenting a witch number. Devastasia was simply adorable.

Artemisia Vulagaris: The Man I Love (Julie London)
You may have seen Devora Darling perform this sinister love story. With her permission, Artemisia created her own version of the act.

Scratch: The Spike
I can’t watch Scratch perform this trick, which involves a large metal spike, a blindfold, and his hand.

Brigitte Bisoux: Alcohol (The Kinks)
This was created for The Wrathskellar, but slightly modified as it was being performed by Brigitte and not her character, The Broad. A little more humor, a little less darkness. And she swigged from a Deacon Giles bottle, of course

Artemisia Vulgaris, Devastasia, Mina Murray: Poison (Post Modern Jukebox)
This was originally created for Cover Girls but only Devastasia is left from the original casting. Three murderesses think they are cleverly offing the competition, but are they…?

I made a little backstage video between shows with an appearance from The BeauTease, but you have to be one of my Patrons to see it.

After the shows we were treated to creative (and strong!) cocktails by the bar staff. Mine was a Far Side of the Tracks, a mix of their spiced rum and Far from the Tree cider with egg white, cream and nutmeg, pictured at right. So delicious! Brigitte’s coffee rum-based cocktail had smoke in it! I also tried something with absinthe in it and the most bizarre cider I’ve ever tasted.

We’ll be back at Deacon Giles on December 16th with Brrrlesque, a winter holiday treat. If you can’t wait that long, you can catch us this Saturday at The Thalia in Panties Inferno!

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page.

Published in: on 23 October 2017 at 5:13 pm  Comments (2)  
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Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! Here’s your tip.

Keep an extra of a frequently forgot item in your show bag.

You know how there’s that one thing you’re always forgetting to bring to a gig and them you have to scramble to borrow or buy? I’ve already talked about keeping an emergency kit (for general emergencies) and about the “me plus one” philosophy (looking out for another performer), but this is about that specific thing you never seem to have on hand show after show. Maybe it’s hairspray or a pair of fishnets. Keeping a spare of whatever it is in your bag or makeup case will reduce stress and panic (and having to rely on the kindness of a fellow performer). Scratch keeps an extra tie in his suit bag and Brigitte always seems to have a spare roll of pastie tape. I always stash another thong in my bag. Get an extra and you’ll always have it.

M2Like this tip? There are lots more in Miss Mina Murray’s Little Book of Better Burlesque.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page.

Published in: on 20 October 2017 at 3:10 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday the 13th!

Tonight The BeauTease are in Salem, celebrating with Bad Luck Burlesque at Deacon Giles Speakeasy Lab. Our early show is sold out, but there are still tickets (last I checked) for the late show.

Here’s your tip!

For better balance, engage your core.

When standing on one leg, whether you’re removing a stocking on stage or just stretching your hamstring after working out, and you feel wobbly, tighten up your abs and you’ll be more stable. All those hours of Pilates and crunches are good for more than you thought! You’re improving your stability as well as your core strength.

Photo by RJP After Dark

M2Like this tip? There are lots more in Miss Mina Murray’s Little Book of Better Burlesque.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page.

Published in: on 13 October 2017 at 10:57 am  Leave a Comment  
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In the Kitchen: A Novelty in Cakes (1920)

Dear Constant Reader,

The novelty for this cake is that it’s made with graham cracker crumbs instead of flour. The recipe comes from the pamphlet 100 Delicious Walnut Recipes by the California Walnut Growers Association, probably published in 1920. I’ve also found a similar recipe for the cake (but not the frosting) in a Utah newspaper from 1915.

We had a box of graham crackers left over from making s’mores at the Mini Expo cook out and I wanted to make something for our Sunday Social after Cover Girls. This fit the bill nicely.

A couple of notes:

Take the butter and eggs out of the fridge early and let them come up to room temperature. It will be easier to cream the butter and to beat the egg whites stiff when they’re not so cold.

Toast the nuts first. Toasted nuts always taste better. Also, get as much of the skin off the walnuts as possible — it can be bitter. Obviously the Walnut Growers want you to use walnuts, but the cake is probably just as good with other nuts or no nuts at all.

Most vintage recipes call for squares of unsweetened chocolate, which was an ounce. These days chocolate usually comes in bars with 4 squares to the ounce, but double-check and use a scale if you’re in doubt.

One of the challenges was figuring out how many graham crackers to use. The recipe calls for “26 graham crackers”. Is one cracker one of the rectangular cracker quarters? The square half crackers, like for s’mores? Or an entire unbroken cracker sheet? The right answer seems to be 26 square crackers aka 13 full cracker sheets.

Here’s how you make the cake:

Crush graham crackers to fine crumbs. I like to use a rolling pin, but it’s faster and more uniform if you use a food processor. Separate eggs and beat whites to stiff peaks. Mix sugar & baking powder, then cream with butter. Mix together egg yolks, milk, vanilla, cracker crumbs, and nuts. Fold in beaten egg whites. Pour batter into buttered pans. The original recipe says just to “bake in loaf or layers”. A little research lead me from this vague instruction to the appropriate size and shape of pans and the temperature and time. Let cool before frosting. See recipe below for specifics.

To make the frosting, cream butter and powdered sugar. Add melted unsweetened chocolate. Add enough cold coffee to make the frosting spreadable. I don’t drink coffee so I don’t usually have left-over coffee hanging about. I use instant espresso powder for intense flavor and make a single cup. I used about 1/4 cup of cold espresso, but the amount will depend on what consistency you like your frosting and a bit on how humid it is. Finally, mix in ground walnuts. Frost the cake(s). If you used round cake pans, level the layers before frosting and stacking (or use cake bands so you don’t have to).

It went over really well. Someone tasting the cake said the cake and the frosting have the right balance of sweet. Everyone loves the mocha frosting.

Graham Cracker Cake
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs, separated
3/4 cup milk
26 graham crackers, crushed into fine crumbs (2 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup chopped nuts, toasted
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix sugar and baking powder. Cream with butter. Add egg yolks, milk, graham cracker crumbs, walnuts, and vanilla. Beat egg whites to stiff peaks and fold in. Bake in greased pans: two 9″-round pans or two loaf pans or a 13×9″ rectangular pan for 30 minutes at 350F. Let cook and frost with Mocha Nut Frosting.

Mocha Nut Frosting
2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, melted
1 cup cold strong coffee
1/2 cup ground toasted nuts

Cream butter and sugar. Add melted chocolate. Add enough coffee to make a spreadable consistency. Stir in ground nuts.

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page.

Published in: on 9 October 2017 at 10:57 am  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! Here’s your tip!

Tag sales are great for both buyer and seller.

Call them tag sales, yard sales, or garage sales (depending on your region), they’re opportunities!

It’s an opportunity for you, the seller, to clear unwanted stuff from your life. Maybe you’ve upgraded that costume or built that prop for a one-off show or those shoes that looked like a good idea at the time never quite fit right. And now they’re just taking up room in your closet or basement or storage unit. Have a tag sale! It’s better than letting the items languish or (worse) throwing them away. And maybe you get a little money in your pocket.

Sales like this are also an opportunity for you, the buyer, to pick up some treasures for cheap. It may also be a chance for inspiration. You never know what someone is letting go that might become the basis of a new act. It might not even be something you buy that sparks your creativity.

This tip was inspired by the Boston BeauTease Theatrical Tag Sale happening on Sunday. We’re selling costumes, props, lighting gear, fabric, and some oddities. I’ll also be selling some items from my personal wardrobe and costume collection!

M2Like this tip? There are lots more in Miss Mina Murray’s Little Book of Better Burlesque.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page.

Published in: on 6 October 2017 at 3:06 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Cover Girls 9/30/17

Dear Constant Reader,

I was excited for this show, which was an idea Scratch had a long time ago — we would all perform to covers of songs, mostly current pop songs covered in a vintage-ish style. Then I discovered I had been accepted to ABurlyQ! for the same weekend as the shows, which were in Salem and New Hampshire. I was delighted when we decided to do the show on our home turf too.

I revived a very old number and created a brand-new one to a song I’ve been longing to use for a while now. I wrote about modifying a costume piece for the first one recently (and a little follow up report if you are a Patron). Neither one was particularly simple to create or rehearse and I confess to being worried abut the results for a while.

Things got a little exciting when Scratch got a message from our special guest, Carla Corazón, on the morning of the show — she was sick and had lost her voice. Since she was supposed to be singing, this was pretty bad. I’ll let you know how we handled things further down. Also, something went very wrong with transportation for Valerie, one of our new apprentices and a stage kitten for this show, and she didn’t arrive until halfway through the show. Again, it was handled by cast and crew gracefully.

And here’s the show…

Artemisia Vulgaris, Devastasia, Gin-ni Gelato: Poison (Bell Biv DeVoe covered by Post Modern Jukebox)
Three murderesses each think they’ll be the last one standing as they plot to take out the competition. Choreographed by Betty Blaize and originally performed at Cover Girls on the road. Only Devastasia was original to that version of the number and I’ll be taking Gin-ni’s place when we perform it at Bad Luck Burlesque in Salem.

Scratch: Magic (to Pastime Rag by Artie Matthews covered by Richard Dowling)
Here we ran into a small problem, because the costumes needed to be cleared from the stage *and* the table with the poisoned glasses needed to be struck *and* Scratch had a bit of schtick where he needed to be introduced by Nicole, who was also the sole available apprentice/stage kitten (Valerie was having the above-mentioned transportation issues and Gin-ni needed to get dressed before she could help). Somehow she managed to get most of it done.

It’s a card trick he does silently, because his mouth is taped shut — which is why he needed Nicole’s introduction.

Mina Murray: Peter Gunn (Henry Mancini Orchestra covered by Art of Noise)
My very first striptease was to the Peter Gunn Theme, although I used the Blues Brothers’ version back then. I still love the music and the costume. It’s evolved a bit in over a decade, but it’s not my typical languid moves and sparkly costume. This is where the previously mentioned zippered trousers come in.

Scratch: Makin’ Whoopee (Eddie Cantor covered by Tony Bennett)
Originally Carla was supposed to be singing “Fever” here. Since she was too sick to perform ( no fever jokes please), Scratch decided he would fill in with something from his repertoire. He sings so infrequently that most people don’t realize that it’s one of his many talents. He did pretty well until someone from the audience yelled “take it off!”.

Devastasia: Love Potion No. 9 (The Clovers covered by Herb Albert & The Tijuana Brass Band)
A rather classic striptease with a boa. Devastasia used her winning smile to great effect as she teased the audience with her love potion.

Betty Blaize: 1812 Overdrive (Tchaikovsky covered by The Brian Setzer Orchestra)
Betty created this act for The Big Time and built a stack of dice she can sit and stand on. It’s pretty impressive. However, it’s all stage hands on deck to move it and we were still down a kitten at this point. Artemisia lent a hand and everything went smoothly. Also, Betty’s costume is pretty impressive and has gotten more so since she first created the concept.

Intermission

Artemisia Vulgaris: All About That Bass (Meghan Trainor covered by PMJ)
This was the other song Carla was supposed to sing. Fortunately, Artemisia knew it and jumped in to fill the spot. She gets big points for going above & beyond this show.

Betty Blaize: Sweet Child O’ Mine (Guns ‘n’ Roses covered by Miche Braden with PMJ)
Betty did a stripped-down and dirty tease that was perfect for the down & dirty sound of this song.

Mina Murray: Bohemian Rhapsody in Blue (George Gershwin & Queen arranged by Scott Bradlee)
As soon as I heard this song, I wanted to perform to it. It’s an incredibly clever piece of music, blending two wonderful and disparate songs. And the only way I could get close to using Queen on stage. I tried is as a straight-ahead striptease, but realized it needed the drama of fans.

Scratch: Magic (to A Little Help From My Friends by The Beatles covered by Count Basie)
One of the best things I learned during the work on this show was that Count Basie had *two* albums of Beatles covers. They’re amazing; you should listen to them. Scratch did a very classic-style magic trick with, appropriately for a burlesque troupe, feathers.

Betty Blaize, Artemisia Vulgaris, Devastasia: Temptation (Tom Waits covered by Diana Krall)
Carla was also supposed to be singing this one. Fortunately we have a terrific recording of Billie Von Bonbon (long-time fans will remember her from V for Vixen and French Kiss, among other shows) singing this. The three ladies tempted the audience with various vices.

No rest for us, we’ve got more shows coming up soon. Next, Bad Luck Burlesque on Friday the 13 followed by Panties Inferno right before Halloween!

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page.

Published in: on 3 October 2017 at 5:16 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday! Before we get to your tip I want to remind everyone to come see me and The Boston BeauTease tomorrow in Cover Girls at The Thalia! Also, applications for The Great Burlesque Exposition go from $20 to $30 on midnight on Saturday! And now, your tip!

Tassel twirling isn’t mandatory.

Tassel twirling is unique to burlesque and it’s often expected in burlesque shows. I maintain that *anyone* can learn to do it.

However, it’s a specialized skill, a trick, and it’s not for everyone or all occasions. Tassel twirling may not suit your act or your character. You might just not like it. It’s okay. You don’t have to twirl if you don’t want to. I just ask that if you’re not twirling, you please wear pasties without tassels. There’s the expectation that if you’ve got tassels, you’re going to twirl them.

M2Like this tip? There are lots more in Miss Mina Murray’s Little Book of Better Burlesque.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page.

P.S. The pasties in the photo are Glorious Pasties by Cheeky Cheetah. For a special treat my Patrons also get to see them on me.

Published in: on 29 September 2017 at 12:15 pm  Leave a Comment  
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New Apprentices

Dear Constant Reader,

The Boston BeauTease have new apprentices!

From L-R, Valerie, Gin-ni, Nicole, and Artemisia!

Valerie and Nicole are both B.A.B.E. students, and Nicole also studied with Don’t Blink Burlesque in Arizona.

Gin-ni Gelato began her burlesque studies with our good friend Corinne Southern and has performed in a few local shows, including The Mini Burlesque Expo.

Artemisia Vulgaris has been an apprentice since May and has renewed her contract with us for another term.

We are so excited to be working with these ladies, teaching them the fine art of burlesque, and learning from them too!

You can see all four of them in Cover Girls at The Thalia on Saturday. Artemisia will be performing her first solo striptease as well as charming you with her lovely voice on Friday, October 13th in Bad Luck Burlesque at Deacon Giles Speakeasy Lab in Salem.

M2These writings and other creative projects are supported by my Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page.

Published in: on 27 September 2017 at 3:22 pm  Leave a Comment  
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Friday Tip

Dear Constant Reader,

Happy Friday. Here’s your tip!

Zipper sewing needs a zipper foot.

I have heard people insist that one can sew a zipper using a regular machine foot, and while it is not impossible, it is also not recommended. A zipper foot is like half a regular foot, so you can sew close to the zipper without actually going over the teeth (a bumpy situation) while still keeping proper tension on the fabric.

The foot on my machine (pictured) can slide to either side of the needle, to easily stitch on both sides of the zipper. It’s also a great foot for sewing piping and beaded fringe. If you don’t have one for your machine, it’s a worthwhile addition to your arsenal!

M2Like this tip? There are lots more in Miss Mina Murray’s Little Book of Better Burlesque.

These writings and other creative projects are supported by my Patrons. Thank you so much! To become a Patron, go to my Patreon page.

Published in: on 22 September 2017 at 2:50 pm  Leave a Comment  
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