MY EARLIEST RECOLLECTION OF WHAT BURLESQUE WAS CAME FROM THE CLASSIC MOVIE "GYPSY" (1962), STARRING NATALIE WOOD & ROSALIND RUSSELL. THEN I SAW IT ON BROADWAY OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
TO DATE, IT'S MY FAVORITE MUSICAL.
THE SEED WAS PLANTED AND I WAS HUNGRY TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS ART FORM.
IRONICALLY I WAS LEARNING ABOUT IT IN FRAGMENTS OF THINGS I SEEM TO BE DRAWN TO (BETTE MIDLER , FANNY BRICE, FLORENZ ZIEGFELD, BOB FOSSE'S CHOREOGRAPHY, FASHION INFLUENCED BY BETTIE PAGE , FREDERICKS OF HOLLYWOOD AND THE MULTIPLE FILM HOMAGES, SUCH AS: LILI ST. CYR IN "THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW"; LATER "CHICAGO" AND IN 2010 "BURLESQUE").
RECENTLY I FOUND OUT THAT EVEN IN UNION CITY, NJ, THERE WAS BURLESQUE: "THE HUDSON HOUSE", BLOCKS FROM WHERE I GREW UP; SADLY GONE BY THE TIME WE ARRIVED FROM CUBA.
THERE HAS BEEN A HEAVY RESURGENCE REGARDING BURLESQUE STARTING IN 1992 WITH DITA VON TEESE.
SPARKING SUCH DESIGNERS AS JEAN PAUL GAULTIER, VIVIENNE WESTWOOD, VICTORIA'S SECRET AND LA PERLA TO DRAPE -AND AT TIMES CINCH- THEIR MODELS WITH BURLESQUE INFLUENCED FASHION.
THANK YOU QUINN LEMLEY FOR BEING THE NEXT ONE TO CARRY THE "TEASING" TORCH USING THE COSTUMES OF FEATHERS, SEQUINS AND TASSLES & MAKING THEM "POP" THROUGH WORDS, MUSIC AND DANCE, MAKING ALL OF US WANT MORE, MORE , MORE!
MS. LEMLEY REMINDS THE AUDIENCE, "IT'S ALL ABOUT THE TEASE"!
HER SHOW PUTS THE TEASE BACK IN STRIPTEASE.
IT'S ALLURING.
THE SHOW'S VISUALS MAKES THE HEART HAPPILY PALPITATE (AND MAYBE A FEW OTHER ORGANS AS WELL-LOL).
WHILE EDUCATING THE AUDIENCE WITH THE HISTORY OF THIS GENRE, QUINN LEMLEY IN "BURLESQUE TO BROADWAY" KEEPS THIS FORM OF ENTERTAINMENT CURRENT WITHOUT LOSING ANY OF ITS INTEGRITY.
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I THINK LEMLEY'S STRENGTH IN MANY OF THE SHOWS SHE HAS STARRED IN ("THE HEAT IS ON" FOR ONE ABOUT RITA HAYWORTH) IS HER CAPTIVATING ABILITY TO EDUCATE HER AUDIENCE ABOUT THE SUBJECT WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY AND FULLY ENTERTAINING HER GUESTS: "LET HER ENTERTAIN YOU, LET HER MAKE YOU SMILE".
AS BIG AS THE MAJESTIC "STATE THEATER" IS QUINN EMBRACES THE AUDIENCE IN A WAY THAT MAKES IT FEEL PERSONAL.
WHAT A GIFT!
ANOTHER THING THAT MAKES QUINN LEMLEY UNIQUE IS HER PERSONAL AFFILIATION TO BURLESQUE. IT'S INFORMATIVE AND RIVETING!
THE CHOREOGRAPHY IS TOP NOTCH-AS ALWAYS.
THE BAND? AMAZING!
HER TWO "GIRLS" ARE PURE TALENT. A BEAUTIFUL COMPLIMENT TO LEMLEY; SHE IS GENEROUS IN ALLOWING THEM TO SHINE ( A SIGN OF A SECURE AND TRUE PROFESSIONAL).
THE SHOW MAY HAVE BEEN PERFORMED IN NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ BUT THE FEEL WAS TOTALLY BROADWAY. THERE WAS NO SKIMPING HERE IN QUALITY OR QUANTITY.
WHILE THAT FRIDAY THE COUNTRY WAS WORRYING ABOUT THE POLITICAL/FINANCIAL SEQUESTER THOSE OF US HOWLING & ENJOYING "BURLESQUE TO BROADWAY" WERE TRANSPORTED TO THE FAMOUS BURLESQUE HOUSE, "MINSKY'S", WHERE LEMLEY CHANNELED ALL THE GREATS FROM MAE WEST TO GYPSY ROSE LEE.
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