"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