Dear Constant Reader,
Happy Friday! It’s been pouring here in Boston, so let me see if I can come up with a thematic tip… Got it! Here’s your tip:
If you work with liquid in your act, even just a little, remember to pack a towel (for drying off afterward), a plastic bag (for wet costume items), and something to protect the stage (a tarp, a rug, a bathmat, &c.).
Dear Constant Reader,
I’ve got some upcoming shows & appearances and you should come to all of them!
Think I just take my clothes off on stage? I’m also an award-winning storyteller. I bet you didn’t know that! Next Monday, the 24th, I’ll be at Story Club Boston, telling a true tale inspired by “That One Song”.
The following Wednesday, August 26th is our last regular Harburlesque show. Join me, Brigitte, Stella, and, of course, Scratch for a fun show on the high seas (or at least Boston Harbor).
I said “regular” because our very last Harburlesque show will be September 2nd and it’s going to be a blow-out for The Boston Babydolls’ 10th anniversary! All 6 Boston Babydolls will be dancing for your pleasure to live jazz from our friends in The Vudu Krewe. When you’re not watching burlesque, enjoy surf music from The Waveriders and go-go dancing from The Wrathskellar Wenches. We’ll have a special announcement at the party. Be the first to know what it is!
In September I’m thrilled to be performing at Corinne Sothern’s Burlesque Speakeasy in Providence.
And then it’s time for The Wrathskellar! Our haunting cabaret returns to the Davis Square theatre. You really don’t want to miss this year’s show. The Lost Girl will be so sad if you don’t come and you wouldn’t want to make her sad, would you?
I hope to see you in the audience soon!
Dear Constant Reader,
Last month I advised you to carry a handkerchief and shared a few from my collection. Here is the newest acquisition:
Or at least one corner of it (plus my shadow…).
It’s shadow work embroidery on fine cotton batiste. Shadow embroidery is done on the wrong side of the fabric with a herringbone stitch, so on the right side all you see is an outline and the mere shadow of the stitches underneath. It doesn’t photograph so well, so you’ll have to trust me that it’s lovely and delicate.
I’m particularly pleased because I made it myself and it’s been a long time since I finished a piece of embroidery. My Unfinished Projects drawer is fuller than I care to admit and I’m working it down. In between rehearsing and working on costumes for The Wrathskellar, of course.
Dear Constant Reader,
Happy Friday! Here’s your tip!
It’s just fabric. Go ahead and cut it.
I can’t be the only one who gets paralyzed at the thought of cutting into some gorgeous fabric and so the costume project gets delayed and delayed from fear of ruining the material.
Dear Constant Reader,
Happy Friday! Here’s your tip!
Improvisation requires rehearsal.
Improvisation is a skill and thus needs practice like any other sort of stagecraft. The ability to improvise an act is not the same as just getting up on stage and winging it. You need to practice the abilities that make it possible to go out on stage, make up a dance, and look like it’s easy.
Dear Constant Reader,
As July reaches a close, so does my video project end. In 31 days, I’ve watched 31 (plus a couple) videos. This wasn’t a full week, but the videos I watched were:
What have I learned over my month of video-watching? A bunch of stuff, some of which I knew already, but a reminder (with visuals) is so helpful.
There are so many ways in which I could up my game. I’ve got all sorts of ideas. And that was the whole point of this exercise.
Dear Constant Reader,
Happy Friday. Here’s your tip!
Rhinestones are like precious gems. Surround them with a secure setting, using extra glue.
You can see to the left, as I repair my favorite Amber Ray hair flower, that I let some of the glue ooze out from under the stone. It may look awful at the moment, but it dried clear (always use a glue that dries clear…) and now I can’t even tell which stone it was.
You are creating a bezel (ring-shaped setting) that will cradle your rhinestone and keep it securely in place. You want just enough extra glue to surround the stone without squishing all over the place. And you’ll have the added security of knowing that the back of the stone is completely coated in glue.
Dear Constant Reader,
I recently made dinner based on a menu in a little cookbook from 1950, Meals for Two Cookbook. True confession, I just used the menu as a guideline and made similar dishes from other vintage cookbooks in my collection.
The entree (Lamb en Brochette) was from an undated “postwar” butcher’s pamphlet, the vegetable (Épinard à l’italienne) was from a 1947 cookbook, and the bread (Sweet Potato Biscuits) came from a 1935 baking powder pamphlet. Dessert, however, did come from the original cookbook and that’s what I want to share with you.
Dessert was Peach Mousse and I was intrigued. Usually when I make mousse, it involves whipping heavy cream or egg whites (or both) and maybe a little gelatin to stabilize. This used evaporated milk, a substance I’d never had in my kitchen before, and it was a frozen dessert.
The ingredients are simple: peaches, sugar, evaporated milk, lemon juice, and a dash of salt (the salt box is hiding behind the other ingredients — I forgot to move it into the shot).
Peel the peaches and mash them to make 3/4 cup of puree. That was about a peach and a half in my case. Add some sugar and stir until it dissolves.
The recipe says to whisk the chilled milk until stiff. This is terribly amusing. I was using my trusty hand mixer and while the milk thickened, it was nowhere near stiff. After a little research I discovered that whipping evaporated milk needs a little special prep. Put the milk, bowl, and beaters into the freezer for half an hour. Then beat for only a few minutes. I did get soft peaks, but I’d never call it stiff. I couldn’t imagine this working with a whisk at all.
Fold in the peach puree, lemon juice, and salt and stick in the freezer. I put it in smaller, lidded container to freeze. That night it was in the freezer for maybe 5 hours and it was still soft at dessert time. A couple days later, it was very hard and probably wanted to spend a little time at room temperature before scooping.
I served it with fresh blueberries thus:
It’s more like ice cream than mousse, but so deliciously peachy that who cares. It’s easy to make, as long as you properly chill the milk. The actual preparation is pretty fast, although you’ve got to wait hours for it to harden up enough to serve.
Here’s the recipe:
Peach Mousse
2 large peaches
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
Dash salt
Pour evaporated milk into a bowl (preferably metal) and put it and the mixer’s beaters in the freezer for 30 minutes.
Peel and stone the peaches and mash to get 3/4 cup puree. Add the sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved.
Whip the milk for just about three minutes, until it resembles whipped cream. Fold in the peach mixture, lemon juice, and salt.
Cover and freeze for several hours, until firm.
Makes about 3 cups.
There’s a variation that uses bananas instead of peaches. I loathe bananas, but maybe I can find some brave taste-testers.
Dear Constant Reader,
This week I decided to go with a theme. I’m working on a bathtub act and now that it’s coming along nicely, I decided to look at other bathing acts for encouragement and inspiration.
Dear Constant Reader,
Happy Friday! Here’s your tip!
Just keep going.
If something goes wrong on stage, just keep going as best you can. You may be thinking very fast on your feet, but don’t let the audience see that you are and chances are they’ll never know there was a problem.
Oh, The Glamourous Life! 