Dear Constant Reader,
On Friday The Boston BeauTease were hired to performing at a convention-like event. As is our wont, we arrived two hours before showtime, which was 6pm. This is important.
By about 4:30 we had unpacked, set up all the props and set pieces, and were starting to get ourselves ready to warm up the show, when Scratch said “Places in 25 minutes”. Despite having been contracted to go on at 6pm, we were on the schedule for 5pm and there was nothing anyone could do to change it. Yikes!
We frantically did hair & makeup while Scratch frantically tried to find the tech guy. That took awhile (I guess he also thought we were on at 6) and bought us a little time. Then they discovered the power to the outlets was out in the ballroom. I believe there was a little magic involving extension cords from the lighting and sound gear to another room.
Scratch insisted that we needed time to each run one number on the stage, so Betty, D.D. and I ran our opening trio and Pearl did the first half of her Nina Simone medley. And it was a damn good thing we had the chance. The stage had an… interesting… surface and it was the only warm-up any of us got.
Because of the tech issues, I think we started at 5:15 and still had to be done at 6 sharp.
It wasn’t the worst show we’ve ever done, but it was far from the best.
Changes backstage were very tight and there were a lot of shaky hands from all the adrenaline. We helped each other as much as possible. And it was hot in the function room and we were all rather sweaty, which made dressing quickly even more difficult. Pearl experienced her first ever pastie pop during Mistress and Maid, probably because of sweaty skin. I’m amazed we didn’t have more problems.
Scratch had to cut a number on the fly [EDIT: Scratch reminds me it was actually two numbers. I was so frazzled I didn’t even realize the other one never happened], so we could finish on schedule. Everyone took it in stride, even though it meant losing a few precious minutes to change costumes.
This was the first show for Carla, our stage kitten. She handled the craziness with grace, did her job, helped where she could, and otherwise stayed out of our way. We couldn’t have asked for more.
Remember I mentioned the issue with the power? At the climax of Betty’s new fire-themed act, her bench bursts into flame, a la Blaze Starr. Scratch plugged the effect in backstage at the climactic moment and… nothing happened. Because all the outlets were dead. *face palm*
We managed to finish the show on time (or close to it) and I think the audience enjoyed it. Whew! Not an experience I’m eager to repeat any time soon.
If your zipper is not gliding smoothly, rub the teeth with a lubricant (but not that kind…). There are various kinds of commercial zipper lubricants for sale, but there’s really no need to spend the money. You can use a candle, a bar of soap, a crayon, even lip balm, as long as it’s waxy. If the zipper is metal, you can also rub it with the lead of a pencil. This trick also works for a key if a lock is hard to open.
1. This coming Thursday there’s a fund raiser for 
3. 
Everyone knows you can use clear nail polish to keep a run in your stocking from getting worse (you knew that, right?), but you can also use soap. 
Oh, The Glamourous Life! 