Hurricane Rose makes a playlist of over 100 songs that vary in genre and tempo. Sure, she knows what she picked, but the DJ is going to hit “shuffle” and that will determine what she dances to on stage. When the audience tires of a song, they will yell “change,” and that song will get replaced. What this means is that for a little while, a burlesque performer is dancing to “Mahna Mahna,” “Love Shack,” “Seven Nation Army,” and “Twist and Shout” among other tunes.
Another dancer momentarily gets a riding crop stuck under a chair leg. Not a problem, except someone is sitting in that chair, presumably tied to it. Misery Moonshine, the tough dame with a knife, has to find a way to work this into the act.
Then, there is the question of what to do with all the extra glitter covering the stage after another performance. For Victoria Van Layer, the answer was to belly flop into it while wearing a white twirly gown.
There are those who get either awkward or especially prudish when there’s mention of women (mostly) stripping down to pasties and panties in public, but this vein of performance art requires more than the willingness to expose a lot of flesh and shimmy about.
Behind the scenes, Tedd E. Bare was shaving between sets. . . the ultimate stripping. Another performer confessed to being nervous about singing in front of an audience: two of the acts featured live singing, and neither of the women appeared shy once on the stage.
With all the practice and attention to detail, minor mishaps don’t cause anyone to miss a beat. A slippery pasty gets replaced with the performer’s hand. A false moustache loses its grip and is relocated to the emcee’s cleavage.
An amateur might get visibly frazzled by any of those things.
Instead, what the viewer leaves with is the memory of applause, with the imprint of the audience singing “Mahna Mahna” along as a performer works her way out of an emerald satin gown. What stands out is the drama of a box flying open with Gouda Neville inside. Such surprises unexpected within view of City Hall
If you missed the Beat City Beauties this weekend, you can catch them back at Arch Street Tavern in May. Clear your calendar now.
