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Burlesque troupes like Posey Peep Show and Pretty Things Peepshow bring the art form back better than ever (video) on Astini News

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Gypsy Rose Lee's mentor, Tessie the Tassel Twirler, once advised the legendary burlesque performer to "Leave them hungry for more – you don't just dump the whole roast on the plate."

That quote, in a nutshell, sums up the art of burlesque – a theatrical genre consisting of ladies with "va-va-voom" appeal who grace the stage with feathery and sparkly props as they titillate men's fancies and striptease down to decorative adhesive patches – yes, pasties – and a G-string.

Burlesque, historically, encompassed a variety of humorous entertainment, including comics, songs and skits that "burlesqued" or parodied, for example, politics. Decades later, it's hard to believe women wearing nude stockings on stage constituted a shock factor compared to the Cub Scout-size badges performers have donned to conceal their unmentionables.

Repertoires of some troupes now aren't solely burlesque focused, but incorporate sideshow and Vaudeville elements into their act. Men, such as the performers in Huntsville's own Posey Peep Show, aren't necessarily prancing around stage in Speedos. Most of Posey Peep's male cast comprise the band and partake in skits.

Featured below are the comments of two different troupes – Posey Peep Show and the touring group, Pretty Things Peepshow – who both explain everything from their acts to costumes, including their take on burlesque's comeback and future.

Burlesque bounces back

Like technology, social trends and fashion, burlesque is an evolving beast that constantly requires new methods to engage its audience.

Censorship and competition with other entertainment outlets, including motion pictures, instigated the decline of burlesque. But its sabbatical would pay off decades later in the 1990s with a generation that spearheaded its revival – the neo-burlesque movement.

Amy Warnke, founder of the New York-based troupe Pretty Things Peepshow and burlesque performer under the moniker Go-Go Amy, believes burlesque's future will incorporate more variety acts – think Vaudeville – to be more multi-faceted shows similar to theirs. Pretty Things Peepshow, for instance, can be best described as broadville, a term coined by the troupe to mean an eclectic mix of sideshow, burlesque and variety entertainment.

The quartet is led by vintage vixen Go-Go Amy, Donny Vomit, "The Dapper Dan of Danger," who is the host and dabbles in sideshow acts such as the human blockhead and fire eating, and Miss Heather Holliday, whose skills include sword swallowing, knife throwing, glass eating and lying on a bed of nails. Then there's the world's smallest performer – she stands at 27 inches tall – Lil' Miss Firefly, "The Midget of Mischief," whose specialties include glass walking, a straightjacket escape, balloon swallowing and burlesque.

"The mainstay of entertainment was live variety shows and Vaudeville houses became movies houses," said Warnke, who since January 2009 has performed more than 300 shows with Pretty Things Peepshow. "They need to get people back in the theatre, so what do you do when you're desperate?

"You push the envelope," she said. "It was the death of Vaudeville and beginning of burlesque and movies. I don't think that burlesque shows would have got as raunchy as they did if they weren't competing against something."

Now enter Posey Peep Show, a troupe based at the Flying Monkey who dubs its act as "absurdist burlesque." Since 2006, the gals and guys of Posey Peep produce an all original and absurd show with live music, dance, comedy, mime, puppetry, singing, variety acts, guest artists, lighthearted naughtiness and striptease.

Most of the gang's burlesque monikers bear colorful and clever sexual innuendoes – Molli Tov, the Lovely Aunt Sofonda Peters, Le Tromboner, Dixie Normous and Salty McPeters – and although costumes may vary per skit, each performer must have a white face similar to a mime. The guys tend to lean toward the black and white color scheme with some outfits reminiscent of band uniforms from the Civil War and ladies adopting risqué black and red corsets, bloomers and heels.

Although the purpose of Posey Peep Show is to entertain and serve as a platform to showcase some of Huntsville's hidden talent, most of the performers participate simply for the camaraderie and friendships gained. Others also use Posey Peep as an outlet for self expression and female empowerment.

"This is my therapy," said Rosy Profane, who opted to only use her burlesque name. "It's really fun to see the fun side of sex, and I never knew there was one.

"One of the main reasons I do it is because of the ripple affect," said Profane, who's greeted by girls and thanked at the end of the show for serving as an inspiration.

For Christina Sanderson, also known as Pan Asian Cuisine, the burlesque troupe has given her more than friendship.

"Before this group, I had a lot of hobbies, but I never finished," said Sanderson, who moved to Huntsville in 2009. "I didn't write my own music before the show.

"It (Posey Peep) has given me the confidence and motivation to finish things and even write songs."

A burlesque timeline

1860s: Opening in 1866 after the Civil War in New York City, a play called "The Black Crook," which is also considered to be "the original Broadway musical," bears historical significance since it's the first time that women bare it all on the stage.

1868: Lydia Thompson and the theatrical troupe, the British Blondes, invade U.S. soil in New York where they introduce America to the art form of burlesque.

1916-17: Abe Minsky sails to France and travels to Paris to visit the Folies Bergère and its performers to gain inspiration to implement a "new" concept in New York – the runway – at his flagging venue, the National Winter Garden. This locale would soon be burlesque's hot spot.

1930s: Rose Louise Hovick becomes the legendary burlesque entertainer Gypsy Rose Lee and performs her very first strip in the Midwest. She later becomes the headlining performer at Billy Minsky's Republic.

1940s to 1950s: It's the end of an era with Gypsy Rose Lee performing her famous routine in England as traditional burlesque comes to an end. Lili St. Cyr, Tempest Storm and Ann Corio are among other popular performers of the time.

1990s: Burlesque is revived with the neo-burlesque movement with popular entertainers, such as Dita Von Teese.

2006: Huntsville's own absurdist burlesque troupe, the Posey Peep Show, makes its local debut in September. Now a mainstay at the Flying Monkey Theatre, the Posey Peep Show includes original music, skits, puppetry and comedy, among other talents.

2009: The New York-based group, the Pretty Things Peepshow, begins touring in January 2009 with a mixed repertoire of sideshow, burlesque and variety entertainment called broadville, a term coined by the troupe. Pretty Things Peepshow will return to Huntsvegas for a Sept. 1 show at the Flying Monkey.

2010: The diva herself makes a comeback to the silver screen with the blockbuster "Burlesque." Featuring Cher, Christina Aguilera, Alan Cummings, Julianne Hough, Stanley Tucci and Kristen Bell, the story revolves around Aguilera's character, Ali, and her rise to stardom at a Los Angeles neo-burlesque club.

Check it out

Pretty Things Peepshow

When: Sept. 1, 8 p.m.

Where: Flying Monkey Theater, 2211 Seminole Drive

How much: $15

Information: Flyingmonkeyarts.org, prettythingsproductions.com

Posey Peep Show

When: Oct. 27-28

Where: Flying Monkey Theatre, 2211 Seminole Drive

How much: $10

Information: Flyingmonkeyarts.org

 

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