"Put ze deviled eggs next to ze phenylbarbitol und ze cocaine."

The L'Etage show last night was a success, and everyone in Revival is very satisfied. With good reason: The show was smooth, fun and very well-received. We raised more than $300 for advertising and supplies for the troupe.

Doing shows at L'Etage -- and seeing them -- is an experience that I encourage everyone to indulge in at least once. The room is like a small, alcohol-soused Moulin Rouge. There are bright red curtains, candles on every table and a dark wood bar with a fascinating variety of beer behind it. Shows there are almost audience-participation affairs, as if there was no fourth wall on the stage. Performers sit in the audience or go to the bar and drink during the show. I sat and watched every scene that I wasn't personally in with a vodka cranberry in front of me. There's very much an energy at L'Etage of "you poor audience members, you spent all that money to come in here and now you're coming along for our ride."

I for one am very comfortable with what became of the banana/gorilla/sundae strip. Rather than doing my own strip before it, I now stick to helping make the gorilla strip just a little sexier. Really, how could I ever hope to compete with a pink gorilla costume strip set to "Venus in Furs"?

And NEXT is "Burlesque Barbarians from Beyond Infinity". And after THAT I get November off to prepare for the December show, "A Burlesque Carol".

There is also talk of me taking on the den mother/leader role for another New Hope show (a la the Mutter Museum show). I just had a brilliant idea for it, actually. I don't want to jinx it, so I'll tell you more later.

-DD

Occasionally there are surprises

...and this week's surprise is that I will be able to do the L'Etage show tomorrow night. My teacher canceled lecture.

What is especially happy for me is that I won't be doing the banana strip -- there wasn't time with me taking over the role from the person who was filling in to rehearse the old one or plan a new one. I'm hoping to still be able to sexy up the following strip.

In the original show, I stripped, then interacted with the other strip. The next girl stripped out of a monkey suit and made me into a sundae.

So what I'm hoping to do is to be able to be made into a sundae, minus my previous strip. Also I'll be able to do my hair before and skip wigging it.

Yeah. So come see it. Tickets available online here.

-DD

Making Pretty: Before and After

Going from mild-mannered, ordinary Person to show-stopping, mind-blowing Burlesque Dancer, at least in appearance, isn't a difficult process. It is a drastic one, though.

Consider, if you will, this picture of what I looked like mere hours before Widow Svedka's Black Hearts Memorial (a.k.a. the Mutter Museum show, a.k.a. the New Hope show). This, with very little exception, is what I look like from day to day. On an average day I wear little or no makeup because of a combination of temperamental skin and laziness. I'm not a terribly girly girl--a surprising number of the burlesque girls aren't, either.

And here is the look I used for the Mutter Museum show last night. The flowers were a last minute decision: I was going to apply them to the top I was wearing, but putting them in my hair solved the problem of what on earth to do with the rest of my head.

I really do want to put flowers in my hair more often. It was incredibly easy to do. Step 1: Flower. Step 2: Bobby pin. Step 3: Repeat.

I'd love to spout makeup tips or hair advice but I have none. Every time I have to sit in front of a strange mirror and doll up, I am practically flying blind. What colors to use, what brands to use, what tools to use changes every time.

The show was brilliant, by the way. Everything went well, both bands were incredible. The Absinthe Drinkers never disappoint and everyone loved This Way To The Egress. Of course, the night didn't end without a discussion about October's burlesque barbarians show. NOW it's time to get excited.

-DD

COME SEE MY SHOW TONIGHT!!!

Burlesque Barbarians from Beyond Infinity!

I am more excited for the October show than anything I've done with Revival so far. Maybe it's the incredibly geeky family I grew up in, or the geeky friends I spend my time with. Either way, I'm putting all the energy I've got to give into this one.

This poster was painted by one Mr. Dave Palumbo, professional fantasy illustrator and all-around awesome guy. I think he's also playing the deceased Dr. Mutter in the Mutter Museum show (gotta come see it, then you'll get what I mean). The poster isn't actually blue...I'm not sure why it's doing that, I'll try and upload it again later. It's still gorgeous.

I'm helping our regular writer pen a couple of the sketches since it was decided I had sufficient geek chops to take on the task. My dark secret is that I've never actually played a Dungeons and Dragons campaign (and how weird is my life that not playing D&D is the dark secret?), but I'm well versed in most fantasy and gaming tropes. God knows I've painted enough Warhammer to qualify.

Told you I was a geek.

Occasionally there are frustrations

The Mutter Museum show is going to be great. It's also going to be insane. I fear I'm not into the weirdness of it quite as much as the other ladies are. I'm into it for them, but not for me. Weirdness, I think, generally goes hand-in-hand with elaborate costuming, which I currently don't have the funds for.

If all goes according to plan, I will be starting a new job by the end of the month. Cross your fingers and knock on wood.

The other great frustration is that I will not be able to do Revival Burlesque's September 24 show at L'Etage. I only just noticed today that that day is a Thursday, which means I have an evening class (I am, as of two weeks ago, a part-time grad student). I've already contacted Annie A-Bomb (our fearless leader) and let her know, hoping it wouldn't be too terrible a bombshell to drop.

There's a little sigh of relief with it, I won't lie, as I would have wanted to re-work my routine for that show for the third time. Someday I'll perfect that number. Unfortunately, I don't think that'll come until I can afford to really invest in a costume* for it.

Anything to scratch something off the to-do list.

You're still all required to go see the L'Etage show, though. I'll expect a full report.




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*Or, since it's set to "Banana Split For My Baby" by Louie Prima, a giant sundae dish to writhe around in. Like a high-calorie Dita Von Teese routine.