Then, after a detailed introduction by a young woman with a degree in social work who told us in great detail about her activities with men in her bedroom (I spare you nausea-inducing details), one young woman after another cat-walked in to perform a strip tease. The audience howled and screamed with delight with every move by the strippers—the more vulgar, the louder the screaming and hollering.
The event turned out to be a performance of The Philadelphia Burlesque Bombshells, featuring graduates of Fit and Fab Studios, which offers classes in burlesque dance. One of the performers did a nice belly dance, veils and all. She was a woman in her 30s with a beautiful face and smile and—as I remarked to the slender teacher beside me—an ample build suitable for the Middle Eastern dance. One of the dancers was introduced as being Austrian, just having flown in from Vienna for her first performance in the United States. When I tried to talk to her in German after the show, it turned out that she had never left the US and couldn’t speak a word of German, except “nein”.
Walking many blocks to find my car, and driving home, wondering what life was all about, I returned late at night and walked Jagger, my cocker spaniel, telling him about my experience at L’Etage. His response? He just pissed up another tree on Merwood Drive. After that not so poetic response, I dashed upstairs, opened my computer and checked: the literary-musical fundraiser for Hidden River Arts takes place at L’Etage on Sunday, June 7, 2015, at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.
“As you know L’Etage is a wonderful space, one of the most popular nightclub spaces in our city,” she continues. “So we anticipate a very nice night—with no hostile audience members to push you out of your seat! I’m still reeling about your burlesque adventure!”
MORAL OF THE STORY: If in doubt, check the original invitation for any literary-musical fundraiser and write it into your calendar right away: Sunday, June 7 at 7 pm. The location is the same as the stripper burlesque: L’Etage at 6th and Bainbridge in Philadelphia. If it’s sold out, Debra and her literary and theatrical artists will put on another show at 9 pm.
Wouldn’t it be funny if someone who is looking for an amateur burlesque show mixed up the date and showed up for the literary-musical event at L’Etage? If so, I’d be happy to let him have my VIP seat, even though I cannot guarantee that any literary or musical types would put their hands in his lap afterwards.
You just have to take chances in life, don’t ya?
HENRIK EGER
Originally published by Phindie, May 25, 2015