Category: Burlesque


Dixie Evans

Image courtesy  of The Burlesque Hall of Fame

The Gypsy Rose Lee Centennial Celebration just got a little more exciting as Dixie Evans herself will be attending our event in honor of Seattle born Legend of Burlesque  Gypsy Rose Lee,  which is also a fundraiser for The Burlesque Hall of Fame.

For those of you not in the know, Dixie Evans is the Marilyn Monroe of Burlesque who built her career as The Stripping Marilyn. Dixie has been carrying the torch of The Exotic World Museum founded by the deceased Jenny Lee and Jenny’s late husband Charlie. Dixie and The Museum left the decaying goat ranch in Helendale, CA back in 2006 and has been trying to find a permanent home for the Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada since then.

Many of us in the Burlesque community call Dixie Grandma and I am delighted that our Burly Grandma will finally be visiting us, as I have tried for years to have her come to our little fishing village which she performed in back in her heyday! Who knows maybe she even performed at The Embassy Theater ( now The Triple Door) back in the day? Or what memories will be sparked when she comes to visit? I am sure one gentleman will be thrilled to meet her in person, that would be Joe Elder,  please read his sweet  story  HERE

But more on this all soon! I have to clean house for the Holidays and then head out into the night for Santarchy and Mezzo Lunatico !

a photo I took of the Exotic World Gates back in 2004

Image by Don Spiro

Miss Astrid has been called “the true weimar fraulein” by Mel Gordon, author of Voluptuous Panic with “Enough attitude to sink the Bismark”, according to the San Jose Mercury News. Arguably, the best Burlesque emcee in the US, she is known for her deadpan delivery, impeccable timing and razor sharp wit. She performed with the very first neo burlesque troupe, The Velvet Hammer Burlesque, 1996-present. You have read and heard about her via NPR, BBC, Time Magazine, and the New York Times. Besides having the first bicoastal burlesque show ever in NYC and San Francisco, Miss Astrid creator of The Va Va Voom Room 1997-present has performed all over the US including the New York Burlesque Festival and Miss Exotic World Pageant in Las Vegas, Stockholm, London, and Switzerland.

That’s how Miss Astrid’s bio reads….. and that is what I call some serious Burly chops … and you have 3, count them … 1, 2 ,3 opportunities to interact with her in Seattle, each opportunity features one aspect of  varied talents as a performer or teacher.

1.) The Gypsy Rose Lee Centennial Celebration, at The Triple Door January 8th where she will emcee the Hell out of our tribute to Gypsy Rose Lee. BUY TICKETS HERE

2.) Mezzo Lunatico, at Teatro ZinZanni’s new late night cabaret that I am guest curating starting January 15!  This evening you will have the opportunity to see Miss Astrid singing and dancing like the true Weimar wench that she is and I’m sure a little chitter chatter will happen too. BUY TICKETS HERE

3.) Classes with Miss Astrid at Miss Indigo Blue’s  Academy of Burlesque

The Art of Emceeing with Miss Astrid – An intimate workshop to help build your hosting skills

Private Lessons with Miss Astrid – Place yourself and your Burlesque Act in the capable hands of Miss Astrid for one hour!

Do not miss these wonderful chances to be exposed in three ways to one brilliant lady.

Image by Jody Ake

Image courtesy of the author Karen Abbott

It’s been a busy week with more pre production for the Gypsy Rose Lee Centennial event, another event I’m not quite ready to let out of the bag yet, and my day work. But…!  I have managed to read as much as I can of the advance copy of American Rose , A Nation Laid Bare : The Life and Times of Gypsy Rose Lee, before I sadly had to pass it off to Sarah Rundinoff last night to take with her on her travels home for the holidays to Hawaii. Sarah will be preparing for her reading for the January 8th show when not catching up with family and basking her pretty face in the the sun on the beaches of her beloved Kauai.

I’ve really been enjoying reading American Rose, clearly it has been painstakingly and lovingly researched. Karen Abbott is really taking me there with the “rose” colored glasses off. I’ve been on an adventure through Gypsy’s early years in Vaudeville, her nutty ass family and her start in Burlesque. I appreciate it’s grittiness and that Karen is not glossing over various unsavory details of Gypsy Rose Lee’s life which only ups to her mystique if you ask me. It adds insight and respect for Gypsy Rose Lee’s ability and talent to craft a persona that has been elevated to Legend. Try doing that today in this modern day world of transparency, Wikileaks and Online Reputation Management ( but that is another blog), seems the only thing transparent about Gypsy were her costumes …

It’s frustrating that I am a slow reader with a busy schedule, I’m in such suspense about the up and coming chapters in the book! I can’t wait to have it come back to me! I’ve had opportunity to speak and correspond via e-mail with Karen Abbott the author and I can’t to meet her when she visits Seattle February 3rd for her book tour, she will be making an appearance at Elliott Bay Books. I’m working Karen’s book American Rose,  into the show I am producing in honor of Gypsy Rose Lee for her 100th Birthday. Karen is being so generous and supportive with images and information for the video presentation that Deirdre Timmons is creating for this special event. The one stumbling block that I am having is that I have yet to find an image of Gypsy Rose Lee that is high enough resolution that can be used for the poster! I’m on pins and needles about it,  time is marching forth and I need to get this promo rolling! Karen has been so kind trying to help me with this conundrum. It’s not easy finding an image from the 1930′s or 40′s that is up to today’s technical needs of graphic design when you want to create a poster….

Karen Abbott

image courtesy of the author

Joan back in her heyday!

What a great day of production and I did it all in my flannel pajamas!
Today I spent about three hours with Michael Musburger discussing the January 8th “Gypsy Rose Lee Centennial Celebration” at The Triple Door.
Michael is pulling a band together for this show as Burlesque is always better with Live Music! Michael and I went through my Burly Music Library, much of which has been given to me by Scott Ewalt. We want to keep the music between the 30′s and 50′s, grated that is 20 years of music but our  focus is on what was popular at the time and what was in Burlesque Halls.
The show we are creating will be played out as our own edition of “Master Piece Theater” with Miss Astrid as the Host and Joan Arline, Catherine D’Lish, Lily Verlaine, Inga Ingenue and I will be performing examples of Gypsy’s signature styles, and a few non performative things as well are in the works , a reading by Sarah Rudioff from the soon to be released “American Rose” by Karen Abbott and a Tableaux Vivant by Nick Garrison. Scott Ewalt sent me some MP3′s of Gypsy Rose Lee performing live and they sure are inspiring! Deciding what I want to do is very difficult.

Today I also spent some time on the phone with Joan Arline, discussing show’s with Joan is stepping through a worm whole to the past (Joan will be 78 on December 3rd) while classy and poised she certainly is the definition of a broad, and I feel as though I’m in 1949 discussing this production with her (this is the second time for her to come to Seattle for one of my shows and she has been in several of the shows I’ve produced for The Burlesque Hall of Fame in Las Vegas).

Joan as any performer in Burlesque is always angling for more acts per show and longer sets per act while trolling you for what other productions you may have down the bend. I find it charming that Joan at 77 still has that performer drive and ambition to be on the stage in the bright lights and shaking me down about who I could connect her to, I enjoy that part of the hustle though I would not want to have that conversation everyday. There is  a lot to lean from these ladies, the pitch and the push !

The generation gap of technology is always an interesting one to leap across when working with these old gals. I really do find it much easier when the show has live music as most of these ladies still have their music charts and that is the way they are used to working (well that doing 20 minute sets, but I’m not sure the modern day audience has the attention span for that), I still laugh when I think about La Savon asking me if we could accommodate a reel to reel tape at the BHOF Reunion in 2007, that is when I asked if she had grandchildren… Anyway I can’t wait to lay my eyes on copies of Joan’s original charts, they were too big for her to copy at home so she had to take to Office Max to have them reduced. They arrive in the mail this week so Michael can get going on her part of the show.


This is a photo of Joan backstage from a production of “Gypsy” that she performed in last year in Palm Springs, she will be bringing this costume along for a little fun we are brewing up with Lily Verlaine ; )

Gypsy Rose Lee’s 100th Birthday!

A multi media event of Song, Dance, Film and Literature just like the lady herself!

The Seattle Burlesque community and it’s supporters will honor Gypsy Rose Lee and the many artistic contributions she made to society with an evening of celebration and fundraising for an organization that keeps the tradition of Burlesque past and present alive, The Burlesque Hall of Fame-  located in Las Vegas, NV.

Hosted by Miss Astrid, performances by two time Miss Exotic World title winner Catherine D’Lish, Legend of Burlesque Joan Arline, Lily Verlaine, Nick Garrison, Miss Inga Ingenue and a reading from “America Rose” by Sarah Rudinoff.

In honor of her 100th birthday, The Swedish Housewife and the Burlesque Hall of Fame invites you to join us in toasting the unique life and legacy of America’s most celebrated Burlesque Icon, Gypsy Rose Lee Born Rose Louise Hovick in Seattle, Washington on January 8, 1911, Ms Lee was an entertainer, author and playwright of significant renown—even before her 1957 memoir, Gypsy, made her the American stage (and screen’s) most beloved stripteaser.

30 years after her death, Gypsy remains a beloved Broadway favorite. In fact, the musical’s 2008 production earned numerous awards, including coveted Tony and Drama Desk Awards for Patti LuPone (Mama Rose), Laura Benanti (Gypsy) and Boyd Gaines (Herbie). However, not every star’s story gets told—much less becomes fodder for a best-selling, beloved memoir, Broadway musical or Hollywood film. And, while there is, was and always will be only ONE Gypsy Rose, there are countless entertainers who graced the stages of America’s “burly houses”—women who led similarly wild, colorful and dramatic lives; the stories and memorabilia from which are in grave danger of being lost to the ages.

In partnership with Random House, publishers of American Rose: The Life and Times of Gypsy Rose Lee, the forthcoming biography by best-selling author Karen Abbott (Sin in the Second City), The Burlesque Hall of Fame is proud to announce a series of very special fundraising events, celebrating burlesque’s brightest, most successful “crossover” star.  It is our hope that, in paying tribute to the life and times of this beloved icon, fans will be moved to support the Hall of Fame’s mission to collect, preserve and promote the unique history and heritage of American Burlesque.

Partners:

Random House, Inc. is the U.S. division of Random House, the world’s largest trade-book publisher, and is owned by Bertelsmann AG, one of the world’s foremost media companies. The reach of Random House is global, with Random House publishing companies in nineteen countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Germany, India, Ireland, Japan, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, South Africa, Spain, the United Kingdom, Uruguay, U.S., and Venezuela. Through Random House International, the books published by the imprints of Random House, Inc. are sold in virtually every country in the world.

About the Burlesque Hall of Fame

The Burlesque Hall of Fame is a 501 (C)(3) non-profit organization. Our mission is to establish a permanent, first-rate tourist attraction and research/exhibition space for our unique collection, in hopes of inspiring, educating and entertaining the public and fostering an appreciation for the unique history and heritage of American Burlesque; including but not limited to the art, artifacts and personal histories of the art’s biggest names and brightest stars.

READ THE SEATTLE TIMES PREVIEW HERE

Dueling Lemons

I am not sure who is going to be more worn out by this act, Miss Indigo Blue, Leroi the Girl Boi or YOU the audience?

The Lemon Act is the most High-energy act in “House of Thee UnHoly”  and these ladies will squeeze very ounce of energy out of themselves, their lemons, each other and you before their act is through.

Both these lovelies came to the show with their own versions of “The Lemon Song” that they had been performing as solos. I invited them to combine their acts for “House of Thee UnHoly #2″ and they have been performing it ever since when possible (they live on different coasts). Indigo created her’s for Ellen Forney‘s book release “I Heart Led Zepplein”, Leroi created hers to compete at The Burlesque Hall of Fame.

Together they bring a new twist to their individual acts and have created a Feral Off The Hook 6 minute and 20 second act that will leave you wet!  Don’t be a sour puss come see this “Dueling Lemon Act” at  The Triple Door September 23-25 ! Buy Tickets !

These photos of Miss Indigo Blue and Leroi The Girl Boi were taken by Michael Doucette in 2008

A 90 minute epic psychedelic 70′s trip down memory lane of nonstop sex, drugs and rock & roll, this collaborative production draws from a kaleidoscopic disciplinary range of virtuoso actors, singers, musicians, and talented modern, ballet and burlesque dancers.  The incredibly accomplished cast of 22 vanguard contributors each bring unique magic to this landmark Rock-lesque extravaganza. Now in it’s 4th year!!
“Broadway Level Burlesque”- The Seattle Weekly
8:00PM on Thursday +17
7:30PM +17 and 10PM 21+ on Friday and Saturday

The First Annual “Seafarer Follies!”

The Swedish Housewife Presents the first annual Seafarer Follies! An aquatic cabaret to make Flo Ziegfeld fall off his boat. Just like in the olden days when “The Aqua Follies” rocked Greenlake, the Seafarer Follies! is the perfect Seafair antidote to loud boats, loud planes and suburban parades.


For our first commemorative year, performance artist Bradford Scobie (NYC) will be at the helm. With acts by Moisture Festival favorites: Trixie Little and The Evil Hate “Sea”-Monkey (Baltimore) and debuting Bambi The Mermaid (Coney Island), Seattle all stars Waxie Moon as King Neptune, The Shanghai Pearl, The Swedish Housewife, and introducing Thee Bearded Clam Chorus!!! Of course, a Real Live Band will be rockin’ the boat!


Come dressed to the nine fathoms in your most outrageous nautical, aquatic, flyboy, flygirl, sailor, sea captain, mermaid, merman, or “you make it up” costume to win prizes and the prestigious year long title of  The Royal Sea Urchin!


That’s right, more flotsam and jetsam than you can shake a stick at… more crustaceans than you can put in a pot! You can’t throw a catfish on this stage and not hit a mermaid! Packed full of Sardines and Sailors!!! Blue Angels, Red Devils, and not your average Chicken of the Sea!


Guaranteed to be Off The Hook!

Press about The Seafarer Follies!

Seafarer Follies makes Seattle Magazines August Must List!

The Stranger’s Burlesque Box

Blogs about The Seafarer Follies!

Burlesque Press Seattle – Charms City’s Trixie Little: a Q & A

Burlesque Press Seattle – The Crab-Clawed Attack of Bambi The Mermaid


“My Mid Century Modern Celebration Cabaret”

Come join in the fun as the Madcap International Bohemian Jet Set gather at The Triple Door to toast a half century of an epic life that has been lived to the hilt! A run amuck wild cabaret filled with Acrobats, Aerialists, Avant Guard muckety mucks, Burlesquers, “Dance Troupes”, Glamour Girls, Jugglers, and Wacky Performance Artists ( inhale here), that will be talked about in AA, NA,SA and ALONON meetings for years to come!

Starring !!!

Julie Atlas Muz – NYC- “Muz takes the aesthetic of burlesque and applies it to high art to create a dark fantasy of innocence and corruption. The movement is alternately playful and sexual, and the sex is alternately pure and prurient.” -Culturebot.org

Fancy Chance “Miss Alternative Universe 2009″- London

Scotty The Blue Bunny – The World at Large

Miss Astrid- Switzerland- “the true weimar fraulein” – Mel Gordon, author of Voluptuous Panic , “Enough attitude to sink the Bismark”- San Jose Mercury News

NANDA- Portland- “The Nanda boys do things I always wanted the Karamozovs to do, but couldn’t hire the talent… …Go, Nanda! Banzai!” -Howard Patterson,The Flying Karamozov Brothers

Ernie Von Schmaltz

Cherdonna and Lou

Catherine D’Lish- There’s a reason for her last name……

Lily Verlaine- The Living Breathing Work of Art

Miss Indigo Blue- Seattle’s Sapphic Sweetheart

Poppy Daze of The Aerialistas

Queen Shmooquan- ” She is Genius” – Stone Gossard

Waxie Moon

Stella Rose-  Le Pick up Artiste

DOOR  at  6:00PM

SHOW at 8:00PM

The Swedish Housewife Presents

“An evening of Glamour, History, Sizzling Hot Ladies and Celluloid”, Seattle debut performance of Britain’s Crown Jewel of Burlesque - Immodesty Blaize and West Coast Premiere of the documentary “Burlesque Undressed”.

Seattle’s Hottest Traditional Burlesque Show of 2010! A Full on Celebration of Femininity!

The Film Burlesque Undressed” @ 7:00 PM

Burlesque has shimmied itself into the mainstream ever so slyly that now even Cher and Christina are hopping on the bump and grind wagon! But before Hollywood goes all mainstream with their interpretation of the Art of Burlesque, there are now quite a few documentaries on the subject from different view points and perspectives that you should make yourself familiar with starting with “Burlesque Undressed” Directed and written By Allison Grist is a great addition to this growing genera in film and is a loving look into the history, costumes, the current bombastic explosion of Burlesque, with historical film clips and interviews with costumers, historians and several of the beautiful and original Ladies of Golden Era of Burlesque including Joan Arline.

British Reviews about ” Burlesque Undressed”;

“This curiously innocent little British movie is a celebration of the revival of the art of the striptease artist” Phillip French – The Observer

“Cheerfully entertaining” Peter Bradshaw – The Guardian

“Warm, celebratory, cheeky, glamorous and revelatory” – ODEON

The Show @ 8:45PM

This is my only full on traditional Burlesque Show of the year and it is all High Glitz, Glamour and Sex Appeal, it may very well be the sexiest show of the year to hit the Triple Door stage. This is the only show that can boast having 3 Internationally renowned Miss Exotic World title holders and a Living Legend of Burlesque in one night!

The show stars Miss Exotic World 2007 - Immodesty Blaize “Britain’s Crown Jewel of Burlesque” – the hottest British import since Marc Bolan and she is 100% W.O.M.A.N ! Immodesty will have you wiggling in your seats with her Bombshell Va Va Voom and Sass, her costumes as stunning and unless you are planning a trip to London anytime soon this is your only opportunity to drool and see her in the flesh …. in Seattle.

Miss Exotic World 2004 Miss Dirty Martini, is the walking definition of Burlesque, she definitely is tapped into the era of her fore mother Jenny Lee “Miss 44 and Plenty More” just like Lee she is the consummate crowd pleaser. Dirty has been making quite the International splash with performance all over the planet, including film rolls and recently was featured in a fashion spread shot by Karl Lagerfeld for V Magazine! The World Premier of her own film “Dirty Martini and The New Burlesque” is at SIFF Cinemas March 29th.

Just added to the line up is Miss Exotic World 1992 & 1994 Catherine D’Lish there is a reason why this Sex Pot Red Head is a two time winner and we all winners as she recently moved to Seattle. Miss D’Lish is known for her classic Strip Tease and over the top elaborate costumes and oozes like I said S.E.X. and had more titles under her shimmy belt than any other gal working in Burlesque today.

Living Legend of Burlesque Joan Arline “The Sexsquire Girl” now in her 70′s is just finished up her roll as “Electra” in a stage production of Gypsy at The Palm Canyon Theater. She has been in the business of Burlesque since her early 20′s. The Sexquire Girl is known as a walker , her performance is elegant and stunning and remarkably performing in one of her original costumes this evening.

All four of these ladies are in the film “Burlesque Undressed”.

To round out the night are Seattle’s own shakers and movers of The Seattle Burlesque scene Miss Indigo Blue and Miss Inga Ingénue , who both will be performing tribute acts to ladies of yore Wild Cherry and Sally Rand. Hosting the show is The Swedish Housewife.

10:00PM – Meet the Stars, buy some glamourous 8X10′s, DVD’s and get your autographs.
The Immodesty Blaize Channel

Powered by WordPress | Theme: Motion by 85ideas.