Dear Constant Reader,
We brought Bad Luck Burlesque, a mix of the previous show of that name and some acts from Panties Inferno to The Strand Ballroom in Dover, NH. This was the troupe’s second appearance there, but my first, since I was in New Mexico.
The Strand is a vintage theatre that had been turned into a movie house, but now also hosts live entertainment and dancing. The first several rows of seats had been removed and a dance floor laid out. Although there is a low proscenium stage, we were performing on the dance floor, so as not to be miles from the audience.
If you are one of my Patrons, you can see a video I made from our dressing room in all my pre-show not-so-glamourous glory. I don’t remember the order of the acts, but here are a few snippets. Photos are by audience member Beth Wittenberg.
Our special guest was local blues singer Mike Bremen. He accompanied Betty during her injury striptease to “That’s Life” and sang two other songs.
Betty reprised her injured striptease, as mentioned above. She also danced with the Devil in her signature piece, as seen in the photo. Betty is also expert with Wings of Isis. Sometimes she does a striptease, sometimes it’s a straight-up dance number, as it was this time. She included a special surprise for this performance — halfway through the dance, her wings lit up! I wish I had a good picture of the multicolored LED wings in action.
Devastasia’s disturbing bird tormented poor Nicole. She was also an adorable witch in the act she created for our Salem show.
Scratch mystified and horrified the audience with two dangerous pieces: “The Spike”, which involves attempting not to drive a three-inch steel spike through his hand and “Urban Legend” which involves an apple studded with double-edged razor blades and his mouth. There has never been an incident, but I still can’t watch them.
Once again Nicole played my naughty maid and I got to spank her in “Mistress & Maid”. Poor Nicole — first a bird, than a sadistic employer. I also presented my fan dance to “Moon Over Bourbon Street”. From where I was, the lighting for that was fabulous.
For the finale Nicole, Devastasia and I danced to “Booty Swing”, an act that involves picking up and setting down tall staves. That’s when we discovered the the floor was sloped toward the audience… Exciting. I recall Nicole daintily setting down her foot on an errant staff as it began rolling down into the audience.
After the show the good folks at the theatre took up on a tour of the place and insisted we take several large bags of delicious fresh popcorn. We’ll be back for New Year’s Tease on December 31st!
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