And another night of the festival is over… Blimey this is just whizzing past!
Three – count ‘em! – events were running simultaneously and alas I couldn’t go to them all. I tried all sorts of time-travel experiments (mostly watching the Back To The Future trilogy for tips) but alas I just couldn’t make it work.
What I could make work though, was running the stage at Mama San Supper Club Cabaret Doodah Fancy Food and Drink and Chat and Cool Performance Night. That might not have been its official name to be honest…
I digress… (again). Mr Rufus T Fahrenheit started the evening by singing and nattering to the audience before Cat Aclysmic took to the stage performing her lovely Geisha act. Swooshing about with fans and looking lovely as usual, she had the audience mesmerised.
A difficult act to follow, so what was needed was some wee lassie in a sparkly dress to belt out a tune or two. Luckily we had one of those waiting in the wings and she was Lucille Burn-shaped!
After Lucille’s marvellous song-and-banter combo (it’s a winning formula!) we were treated to Beatrix Von Bourbon roaming the crowd and performing her fun Voodoo Restaurant routine throughout the restaurant. You can’t beat a girl stripping to pasties and pants when enjoying your dinner!
Lucille once again took to the stage for some more singing before we took advantage of our “Book One Geisha, Get One Free” offer – and Vendetta Vain performed her Geisha routine. Very different from but equally as mesmerising as Cat’s, Vendetta tottered around in crazy-shoes, which never fails to impress me. You’ll have to take my word for it, ’cause I don’t have photos. I am shit at this backstage blogging lark, aren’t I? No photos of silly shoes, I ask ya! You just cannae get the staff these days.
The second half of the show kicked off with me, Lucille and Rufus assisting the magician for the evening – who had been entertaining the crowd with some close-up magic throughout the evening. I’m never happier than when chasing someone off a stage with a huge samurai sword in my hand so it’s lucky that the opportunity arose tonight!
Now you may notice this entry is somewhat lacking in videos and photos. Well Stage Managing involves a lot of running up and down stairs, shouting at people to hurry up and get ready and setting up props/picking up pants. This leaves little time for filming and photographing. However, I did get to film Cat Aclysmic’s second act, a very glamorous powder puff routine with an amusing twist. I thought I should live up to my (entirely made up in my own head) reputation as the World’s Best Burlesque Stage Manager and go above and beyond the call of knicker-lifting duty.
Vendetta came back for a balloon pop – looks great AND leaves the whole room covered in glitter! PRETTY!! And talking of pretty, Miss BVB returned for a lovely wee fan dance.
Some more music and chat from Rufus & Lucille all built up to… the setting up of a keyboard on stage!!
But wait! That’s not all! It wasn’t any old keyboard… it was a keyboard to be used by FRISKY & MANNISH! *cue much cheering and whooping*
The devilish duo once again brought tears of laughter to the eyes of everyone in their room with another cracking set drawing the evening to a close.
My camera didn’t get used quite as much as it has done on other nights but I do have a small selection of photos for your perusing pleasure below. I also can’t resist putting up another F&M video for you, ’cause they’re so darn great – it’ll go on the YouTube page real soon, kids!
And for the record, I heard from my spies that both the Ivor Cutler tribute at Oran Mor and Miss Dolly Tartan’s Panoptican fundraiser show at Art de Caf were rip-roaring successes too! Marvellous!
Tomorrow should be NYNot? at the Art Club, I shall report back for that providing something drastic hasn’t happened like a large piece of furniture falling on my head or being kidnapped and held for ransom by a rival Cabaret Festival somewhere else in the world. Um, if there was a rival Cabaret Festival on right now somewhere else in the world…
Don’t forget to get your tickets for The Missy & Leyla Show at the ABC on Saturday by the way! - http://tinyurl.com/missyleyla
AND Rockaburley on Friday (which you’ll get in to for only 6 squid if you take your ticket for any other Cabaret Fest shows!).
I’d tell you to book tickets for Desmond O’Connor’s And The Devil May Drag You Under at the Tron on Friday… but yer too late! It’s sold oot! (this is a good thing!).
By the way, you may have noticed I’m reporting on events the night after they happen… I do actually write these on the night of the events, but a combination of technical issues and an urgent need to get to my bed for sleep mean I don’t upload them until the next morning. I say morning, but I mean afternoon (I’m not an early riser).
But I write this blog mostly as my personal account and record of the festival so really it shouldn’t matter, should it?! I don’t even know if anyone reads it, but I also don’t really care ’cause it’s my blog! I’m being so incredibly generous by sharing my pearls of wisdom with you all, you know.
What? Stop looking at me like that…
