Burlesque Brunch at the Bazaar

Our emcee Beneva Fruitville

Beneva Fruitville is a well-known drag queen in Sarasota. (If you're not from the area, Beneva and Fruitville are two of the main, well, drags in town -- get it???) This is by way of explanation as to why when Stephenie asked if I wanted to join them for a "burlesque brunch," I heard "drag." And so I was a bit surprised when I found myself front and center last weekend as Beneva emceed a show for Miss Marina Elaine and Karma Kandlewick of Hard Heart Burlesque. The women showed off their stuff - literally! The high energy show was a lot of fun.

If you're an avid theatregoer or lover of old movies, chances are you've seen some burlesque yourself. The number "You Gotta Have a Gimmick" from Gypsy is a classic. (Click here to watch Natalie Wood's introduction to the world of burlesque. Wood played Louise, the daughter who morphs into burlesque star Gypsy Rose Lee.)  Marina and Karma had their own gimmicks to share with the crowd. 

Miss Marina Elaine

Marina's first number was performed to the Black Key's "Howlin' for You." The audience howled with pleasure as the tattooed Marina tastefully stripped -- or at least as tastefully as someone with a riding crop as a prop can be expected to do. Beneva had prepared the crowd that there would be "titties," and there were indeed. But don't worry -- this was not an X-rated show. The women wore pasties on their breasts and did not fully disrobe. The whole point of burlesque is the tease. 

Burlesque began in London in the 1830s. In its original form, burlesque was a musical theater parody of a well-known play, opera or ballet. The acts were filled with puns sure to make the audience groan. Wikipedia yielded this example of a send up of Macbeth: Macbeth and Banquo enter under an umbrella and the witches greet them with "Hail! Hail! Hail!" Macbeth asked Banquo, "What mean these salutations, noble thane?" and is told, "These showers of 'Hail' anticipate your 'reign.'" I have to admit that I laughed. The participation of women in these early forms of burlesque was most typically in travesty -- or breeches -- roles in which women played the parts of men. This provided not only opportunities for women to act but for the audience to see their legs in tights. Pretty racy stuff. 

Karma Kandlewick in a bee inspired number

Burlesque came to the United States in the 1860s, and it wasn't long before the American version turned more risque than its European counterpart. While the shows still included plenty of bad puns, they were also full of scantily dressed women and sexually suggestive jokes. A bit surprisingly, the shows were considered entertainment for the whole family. It wasn't until the 1920s that burlesque became synonymous with striptease. With the advent of talkies, burlesque became the subject of several movies, including "I'm No Angel" starring Mae West and Cary Grant. 

It was also in the 1920s that burlesque dancer Sally Rand came onto the scene. Cecil B. DeMille himself is credited with giving Helen Gould Beck this catchy (?) name inspired by the Rand McNally atlas. Perhaps DeMille was prescient, though, as Sally Rand did take her show on the road quite a bit over the course of her career. 

Miss Marina Elaine 

Rand is best known for her ostrich feather fan dance and her bubble dance. She was arrested four times in one day at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair for perceived indecent exposure during her fan dance and while riding a horse down the streets of Chicago. In neither act did Sally actually bare it all. She was a master (or would it be mistress?) of the art of deception, thanks in part to copious amounts of body paint created and applied by the actual Max Factor.

And this brings us back to the Burlesque Brunch at the Bazaar. Marina paid homage to Sally Rand with her own version of the fan dance. It was beautiful to watch as she gracefully swirled around the stage manipulating the feathered fans. That performance alone was worth the price of admission. 

And so concludes my foray into the world of burlesque. For more on Hard Heart Burlesque, click here. And you can find upcoming performances by checking out Hard Heart Burlesque's Facebook page. Try it -- you might just like it.