A lucky week to go see the 'dolls

[jducoeur]

Last night's outing was to the Boston Babydolls, whose current show, Unlucky in Love, is playing this week. It's a great show, probably their best to date.

There are no weak spots. Every act is great, from Mina's delightful fan dance to Ruby and Honey's brilliantly funny duet of two prison escapees on the run, to Joy's thrilling torch songs. Even when things went wrong, they did so right -- in Honey's "Everything that can possibly go wrong does so" routine, her intentionally-flying shoe managed to send her next props off into the audience, in a billiard shot so perfect that I knew it wasn't planned, simply because it wasn't *possible* to do it deliberately. (But she covered for it without missing a beat, and even worked it right into the dance.) And the whole thing is wrapped in a Scratch monologue that ties it together exceptionally well.

The standout routine, as so often, was Betty's -- I never know what she's going to come up with next, and I always look forward to it. This time, it's not even really a strip; rather, it's a symphony in bedsheets, billowing around her as she dances. It's absolutely captivating, one of those moments that crosses the line from performance into Art.

The best summary I can give is that this show really wants to be taped, simply so that it can be shown to the *next* generation of Burlesque with the adminition, "this is what it's supposed to look like". Highly recommended. It's playing tonight and tomorrow in Arlington, and I gather there are still tickets available for tomorrow's show, so go see it...

Comments

[new-man.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the kind words and the support. I'm pretty happy with the show (and I'm a tough critic), but it's also nice to hear it from an outside source.

[laurion]

We're eagerly looking forward to the show. Thanks for fanning the flames!

[serakit.livejournal.com]

Okay, so what, exactly, is burlesque? I've heard it mentioned briefly, but for some reason I doubt the portrayal of it on Gossip Girl is much like the reality.

[jducoeur]

There isn't an exact definition. Indeed, I asked precisely this question at the Burlesque panel at Arisia (which was 80% Babydolls), and the clear answer was that there are simply too many different things calling themselves "burlesque" these days to box up neatly. It's growing in popularity, especially among the college crowd, and there is a lot of experimentation going on. So what you saw on Gossip Girl is probably one valid version of it.

Suffice it to say, the Babydolls do mainly "classic" burlesque, heavily inspired by the forms done in the 1920s to 1950s. It's a mix of cheesecake-style striptease (sexual but deliberately very playful) with a bunch of different variety acts. (Examples of "variety act" include new_man doing magic tricks, juggling, singing, even ladysprite dancing with her pet snake: all sorts of cool stuff.) Sometimes titillating, sometimes funny, sometimes both at once. Very risque back in the day, but PG-13 by today's standards.

Really, it's hard to describe clearly. My recommendation is that, after you get out on your own, you check out one of their shows, and it'll be make more sense...

[new-man.livejournal.com]

Ever seen Gypsy or The Night They Raided Minsky's?

Asking what exactly is burlesque, is a little like saying what, exactly, is science fiction. An Asimov fan will give you one answer, a William Gibson fan another, a Star Trek fan a third, and someone who doesn't like sci-fi at all will give you a fourth – and they'll all be right.

[serakit.livejournal.com]

But the name "science fiction" offers something of an explanation in and of itself. The word "burlesque" doesn't even allow me to form a guess- may as well be from another language.

Wow

[betty-blaize.livejournal.com]

All I can say is "wow! Thanks!" and it doesn't seem to cut it even halfway.

I don't think I've ever had such a nice compliment.

I gotta give half the credit to Scratch and Hunter though. The window frame was all Scratch, and the lighting design a collboration between our two stage genuises Scratch and Hunter. I don't think it would be nearly so cool without those elements. :)

Re: Wow

[jducoeur]

You're welcome -- it was a joy to watch...