Benet’s Burlesque London
An Interview with Rachael Polsom – Stage Manager
Rachael Polsom
Come Saturday night, Rachael is Lady Alex’s right hand. You can see her on and around the stage, but you’d never learn enough to pick her out of a line up. Rachael has developed ninja like skills for fading into the background while she ensures acts get on and off stage on cue. It’s also her responsibility to ensure rehearsals only end when she knows how to set the stage for the routine, and how to ensure props come on and off at the right time. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg for Wam Bam’s stage manager . . .
Can you give readers a run through of what you have to do on Saturdays?
Well, [Deep breath] I arrive 4 hours before the show goes up to manage the technical and sound check rehearsal. (more…)
-->An Interview with Christian Lee
The magical Mister Christian Lee
Which magicians did you admire as a kid?
I did not get into magic till I was eighteen, when I got a job on a ship as a dancer – but they needed a magician! They had some bits left over and my magic life began.
What was your first magic trick?
A trick where the cards move on their own like a ghost was moving them! Very good, and I still perform it today.
-->What’s Cooking?
Chef Said Rafky
I’m checking my watch, because tonight’s Wam Bam show will be over in ten minutes, and the blue bar where I’m hoping to have a quiet beer with Chef is about to fill up with partying customers chatting about the show.
With seven minutes to spare, the door to the kitchen swings open, and as Chef comes out I catch a glimpse of a skyscraper stack of clean plates, still steaming from their wash.
-->An Interview with Scales of the Unexpected
L-R: Bryan, Little Ian and Big Ian
We always see Scales on stage as a group, why not tell us a bit about yourselves as individuals?
Big Ian is addicted to taking his clothes off, Little Ian might as well face it he’s addicted to love and Bryan’s mum was a member of Hot Gossip which is why he is the Scales of the Unexpected dance captain!!
How long have you been performing at the Wam Bam Club?
We love the Wam Bam Club! We remember Wam Bam before it moved to its very plush surroundings here at Cafe de Paris. We’re so pleased that Lady Alex brought us with her and didn’t leave us behind. So in answer to your question…ages!
(more…)
Introducing CABARET ROUGE
The Wam Bam Club’s new residents
We are excited to welcome the gorgeous girls of Cabaret Rouge to Wam Bam as our new resident burlesque dance troupe.
Expect much high kicking and high jinx from these foxy ladies.
The Cabaret Rouge girls:
- Steph
- Lily
- Fifi Femelle
- Gigi Devine
- ChaCha LaFonte
Cabaret Rouge interview
Benet Simon interviews the new Cabaret Rouge girls about their exciting debut at the Wam Bam Club on Saturday, 23rd January. Click the play button below to listen to the interview (1m 10s):
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An Interview with Ruby Deshabille
What inspired you to become a burlesque performer?
I don’t ever remember a light bulb flicking on and my actually ‘discovering’ burlesque at any point. I kind of wish I did. I’ve always been interested in the slightly risqué and satirical side of comedy and performance; I love flamboyant and decadent costumes and the idea of artifice and actually being able to see the performer behind the character. (more…)
-->The Earl of Ealing’s Christmas Classics
The Earl of Ealing
It’s that time of year again . . .
when you go all hunter-gatherer for Christmas gifts and family fodder, and the same naff, overplayed songs invade your ears in every supermarket, bookshop and toy store.
The sad truth is, there’s plenty of good Christmas songs out there, it’s just that people don’t know. No more, I say! ‘Tis the season of giving, and I will give joy to the world with my alternative list of Christmas classics:
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An Interview with Chrys Columbine
Chrys Columbine
How did you get into burlesque?
Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve been obsessed with old-school Hollywood
glamor, the styles of actresses such as Rita Hayworth, Jean Harlow, and
Vivien Leigh (a few of my faves) and I wanted to be like them when I
grew up.
I’d be equally enamored with the grand cabaret extravaganzas
like that of the Zeigfeld Follies and Bob Fosse. But even having
aspirations to be an actress, I thought “they don’t do films like that
anymore, really”. (more…)
The Camden Fiasco
Feeling a bit of a tit, but it’s all in a good cause
Since I started working at The Wam Bam Club eighteen months ago, the popularity of burlesque in London has exploded. I’ve seen burlesque strip tease in a hotel, in a Brixton pub, and in a vintage clothes store in a shopping mall on a Saturday afternoon. The crowds are always mostly women, and I am forever amazed that women can enjoy watching other women take their clothes off. I don’t know how we reached this fabulous state of affairs, and I’ve often worried it was too good to last. For a while, Camden Council made it look like the good times were coming to a close. They wanted venues with burlesque shows to purchase costly Sexual Encounter Entertainment Licenses, just like strip clubs.
-->An Interview with Beatrix Von Bourbon
Beatrix Von Bourbon
What attracted you to burlesque?
As I often tell people, I was attracted to burlesque by the potential for self-exploration and growth that it offered. I put a lot of myself into my acts and as a result of this, I often find that I learn a lot about myself as I develop new pieces. Arguably the same self-reflection can be achieved by indulging in any artistic medium, but burlesque held a particular sway for me owing to its immediate connections with dance and sexuality.
What was your first burlesque gig?
My first burlesque performance was at an event called Hot Sauce in Southampton, May 2006.
(more…)
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