mint juleps and more, at my house, y'all

It's here!!!
Happy birthday to me!!!
Woohoo!!!! Lorenzo and Cree! Skeleton of It! Balloons, bellydancing, and boas! Comedy! Song!
Megan Jones, the kickstarter brain behind the scenes of "Ol' Devil Sherman and the Mint Juleps", had told me she would mail the dvd to me.
On the night of the show, the dvd had not yet been produced.
The plan was to videorecord both nights' shows, then create the film.
So, patience was needed for me to again enjoy the burlesque and music and dance...

But, here's the good thing about shopping local, y'all: she was able to hand deliver it to my house instead making me wait.
I arrived home from school to find this treat in my mailbox!
Yeah for Georgia and Savannah projects!

I had already received
this freshly minted
(get it?)
T-shirt on the night of the performance.
Isn't it lovely?!?
I just adore the burlesque beauties, chilling in the summer treat!

This is the sticker (which matches the button).
Here, you see the full design imprinted on the T-shirt.
Good, right, but aren't you glad I chose the close-up of the girls for showing off the T-shirt?
The Ol' Devil looks imposing and right distinguished, true...
but surely he is no rival to the attraction of the feminine lovelies inside his frosted glass!
No, sir!

I also have a totally lovely 8x10 glossy of the five lovely lasses!
Want to see it?
Well, maybe you can contact Megan and she will help you out.
I'm not sure how much the photos cost, but the dvd's are a bargain at $20.

the mint juleps take the stage

Oh, my, my, my!
Ooh la la, and all that jazz!
I am still so excited from the show that I can't even think about going to sleep!
That vaudeville and burlesque show at Muse Arts Warehouse was more than two hours of dancing, comedy, singing, and good old-fashioned, red light district, FUN!
Balloons, scarves, jingly anklets and bracelets and hipshakers - there was even a snake!
This show had it all, I tell you!!!
A cello-strumming songstress and a zombie out for revenge!
A tapdancing chanteuse and a couple of wiseacres!
Lorenzo and Cree, formerly with the Gypsee Belly Dance Troupe!!! (My absolute favorites!!!)
And Ol' Devil Sherman himself, to put the five Mint Juleps through their paces, clad in bustiers and garter belts and feather boas!
The Mint Juleps, aka Savannah Sweet Tease, is sure to please all, having several different flavors to suit any taste!
(All puns intended, of course!)
You can read about it here, but that may be all you can do.
Bear in mind, folks are hungry for this type of entertainment.
This show sold out and I imagine their second show will also. So, just in case, you can enjoy this photo of the cast from their facebook page.

I am thrilled to be a kickstarter backer of this incredible delight! "Ol' Devis Sherman and the Mint Juleps" has produced a show which is much more than I had anticipated. I sooooo look forward to the dvd video, which I will no doubt wear grooves into. Maybe I should order a second one now...

ol' devil sherman and the mint juleps

Again that magic word: burlesque - how wonderfully exotic!
This time, I most assuredly would be able to attend the show, as it is quite local! Not all the way off in Texas, like that last one with kickstarter!
My friend, Megan Jones, is the woman in charge of this project. She does a lot of photography and encourages her clients to dress in lavish styles for their glamour shots. Of course, it doesn't hurt that many of the folks she photographs are local theatre people!
One of the categories on her page is for "Pin Ups".
Yep, you read that right.
For gals - and guys! - wanting to get their smooth on, they can book with her and have their hair styled especially for the 1930's, '40's, and 50's, with clothes to match, 'natch. Look here if you're wanting to get some ideas for your day in the sun!
When she sent out the word on facebook that she was trying to fund a burlesque show, I gave serious consideration to becoming a backer. My funds are not what they once were, especially as the summer is upon me (no pay for professors for those three months) and my status as full-time parlayer of knowledge has ended. Unless I find some other job, I will return to adjunct status, at one-fifth pay, in August.
Hell's belles, darlin', that's why God made credit cards!
You know what, you are absolutely right.
Plus, you can declare it part of your 55th birthday celebration this year!
By Golly, Miss Molly! That sounds like a winner, indeedy it do!
So, that's what I've done: added a Benjamin to the top hat, plus a dollar for every year I've been on this planet.
Happy birthday to me!
Hope you can make it to the party - it's gonna be a beaut!

sean won't be coming after all

My heart breaks for Pat Alley. Her dream of bringing the Sean Curran Company here for the Savannah Dance Festival will not be coming true.
At least, not for this year's event.
The funds sought via kickstarter to bring the troupe did not accumulate sufficiently.
Maybe another time?
Meanwhile, remember: You were born to DANCE!

if we get sean, they will come

Pat Alley is trying to raise awareness of the Savannah Dance festival. She came to kickstarter with a definite goal: get the funds to bring the Sean Curran Company to town, as the headliner.
Dream big or go home, right?
I don't know much about Sean Curran, except that he was one of the original members of Stomp. That's good enough street cred(entials) for me! I was at their 2005 show when they came to Savannah and consider myself very fortunate. Part of the beauty of the performances was watching the shadows on the walls of the Johnny Mercer Theatre as the dancers leapt and spun and stomped! - it was incredible and I could hardly sit still, dancing my way out into the streets after the show!
So, if the goal was to bring a dance troupe that talented to Savannah for all to enjoy, then sure! I'll put up some cold hard cash for that!
Especially as I'll get two rewards: 1) the posted reward of a T-shirt from the every day i'm shufflin' flash mob event that occured for the 4th of July here, and 2) the reward of being present at the Savannah Dance Festival. Win-win!

genesis comes to life

Woohoo!!!
Madame Rex - I mean, Rachel Strickland - made good on her proposed reward delivery date! She had foretold that in May 2012, the finished dvd would be in my waiting hands...
and so it is!
"Genesis: Air, Water, Life" has arrived well before my LIV birthday, in response to my $LIV kickstarter pledge!


Aren't Roman numerals fun!!!
Hey, what would you expect from a girl named Faustina?
Especially as she is about to go to Italy for ten whole days?!
But that's for another blog.
For here, let me say that I have already seen the performance, as you may, too! She has it posted here, on her page, as well as the list of kickstarter backers, including moi, sil vous plais. That Thank you list is echoed in facebook.
There is even a blooper reel! None of the other projects have posted such a thing, certainly not for ALL to see! Brava!
She has such a good heart and such crazy mad skills!
I know she is going to take that Petri dish all over the world, sharing her wordless message with one and all, drawing them in with the feast for their eyes and ears!
Genesis of a new way of thought, about life and this great lovely world.
Now that is good news!
Happy LIV birthday to me!!!
Thank you, Rachel.
And if you happen to make it to Savannah, I have a guest bedroom.

genesis, with okra, of course

Well, I have not yet made the recipe, but I sure do like her writing style! Rachel Strickland, aka Madame Rex, had promised a gumbo recipe to 32 of her 49 kickstarter backers. You know, those of us willing to put up at least $25 buckaroos.
Cool beans!
I don't know for sure that I should be posting the recipe here, but I'm going to. Why? Well, I misplace things all the time. As long as I have it here, it'll be easy for me to find when I want to treat folks to a unique Cajun dish from a dancer.
So, here goes!

Rachel’s Voodoo Gumbo- the Veggie Version (for Abby)

The great thing about gumbo is you can put whatever you want in it and it tastes awesome. That’s kind of the point- to use whatever you have around. So use this ingredient list as a guideline if you like and feel free to go rogue. Making gumbo is an act of fundamental affection- love away and make it your own invention! But please do not leave out the okra. That's just wrong.

You will need:

One big ass pot
Large cast iron skillet
2-3 cartons of vegetable broth- enough to fill the big ass pot
One package of robust vegetarian sausage, whatever you like (but nothing sweet...gross)
Any other kind of protein you want to use, like cubed tofu or tempeh
Okra- one frozen bag will do, or .5 lb to 1 lb of fresh, chopped up
The holy trinity: one onion, one green pepper, some celery (as many as you like, I use four stalks) all chopped up
Garlic, crushed and chopped
Brown rice
Two tomatoes
Any vegetable based shortening, like Crisco
1/2 to 1 whole cup of white vinegar- to taste
Some flour, white or wheat, finely ground.
Tony Chachere’s creole seasoning (or cayenne, black pepper, and salt will do just fabulously)
Gumbo filé if you can get it (a thickening agent of sassafrass leaves, but you won't miss it if you don't have it)


What you do:

Go ahead and prepare the rice and set it aside. It doesn't need to be hot to serve since it will be covered with scalding gumbo.

Empty two cartons of vegetable broth and the vinegar into the big ass pot and coat the surface with seasonings to your own taste, then stir and put on the stove on medium/medium high heat.

Using the cast iron skillet, heat some olive oil on medium heat. Cube the sausage and toss it in. Brown the sausage, and if you like you can brown any other proteins you want to add. Save whatever oil collects in the pan. Once protein is browned, add it to the big ass pot of simmering veggie broth.

After about 5 minutes taste the broth and add seasonings if you need to. You can add spice to make it hotter, or add more veggie broth to calm it down. I like to cover the surface of the gumbo with Tony’s (or whatever I have) twice while cooking. Please note that Tony's is very salty so if you're not a sodiumphile, go with cayenne and black pepper. You can also add some gumbo filé now too.

Now you hafta make a roux. Otherwise known as cajun napalm.

Go back to your big iron skillet and whatever oil you managed to collect in it from the veggie sausages. Add a scoop of shortening, about 1/2 cup, and heat it slowly until it smokes. As soon as it starts to smoke, sprinkle flour over the surface and whisk. You have to babysit a roux, whisking pretty much the whole time, or it will burn and taste gross. Keep adding flour little bit by bit until you have a thin sauce-like consistency. I believe that the roux is the soul of a gumbo so do try to think happy thoughts while doing it. Making roux while you're unhappy is bad mojo.
The color is also important to note here. It will begin at a light caramel and darken the longer it’s heated (stirring all the time with a whisk). The darker the roux, the deeper the voodoo and the more intense the flavor. In my opinion anything lighter than a milk chocolate is unacceptable, but this is your party. For best results keep stirring the roux until it’s almost the color of dark chocolate or a heavy thunderstorm.

Then pour the roux into the big ass pot. NOTE: I’ve just asked you to pour very hot oil into water. USE CAUTION. Pour slowly and stand back, using a lid as a shield if you need to. It will hiss, spit, and spray. I’m sure there is a safer way to do this but the drama of this way appeals to me, so it’s the only way I know how. Please don’t get napalmed by the roux because it will take your skin right off. Take a second to appreciate how the texture and color of the broth immediately becomes more fascinating.

With the skillet still coated in roux, transfer it immediately back to the heat, add the garlic, chopped onions, and a little olive oil. Stir till coated and then cook until it is slightly burnt on the edges. Add to big ass pot.

Now add the chopped peppers, celery, okra, and any other vegetable you wish to include. Bring to a rolling boil, then reduce heat to a low boil and you can cover it to prevent evaporation. If you need more liquid, add more vegetable stock or even just water.

To add the tomatoes, dunk them one at a time into the boiling gumbo for about 30 seconds. Then you can peel them easily and squish them into a bowl. Dump it in and watch the red color disperse beautifully.

Taste it after it's cooked for 10 minutes or more, and add spices as you see fit. Let it simmer on low for at least 20 minutes if you can't wait any longer. The longer it's all in the liquid together, the better it tastes. Also you don't want to overboil it so the vegetables turn to mush. But it will taste amazing today and even better tomorrow. Serve over a heap of rice in a bowl, to people you love (or would like to).
--
Rachel Strickland
MadameRex.com

I don't know about the okra, but I'm willing to give it a try.
I already have the gumbo filé.
(No, you don't do your fingernails with it.)
Check your phone messages for an invite!
Meanwhile, the video should be here very soon!
Hopefully in time for my LIV birthday!

sealed with a lipschtick kiss!

When I had funded this kickstarter project two months ago, I had done so knowing I would not see the show, knowing there would be no video rewards, knowing they were already a "sure thing".
But I did so anyway.
I really like their logo!
I really like the diversity of their group!
I really like the fun they're having in their shows!

Their sense of humor is even readily seen in the thank-you note, with its huge red kiss!
Fliss!
Thanks so much for schticking with us & for your support!
We think you're real peachy!
Lipschtick
As the card says, they are "complicating the norms of feminism, patriotism, and Judaism. Lay on the schmaltz, we're cookin' up some of Babushka's best."
For a look at some of their style of cookin', check here. They are also on youTube, of course, with some bawdier bits.
Happy viewing!

true flappers never give up!

The third time is the charm, right?
Debbie Lannen doesn't give up. Her theatrical troupe, composed of seniors, want to put on the musical "Flappers!" - and by golly, she is going to keep at these kickstarter campaigns until it happens!
Good for her!
And good for the Spotlight "Still Got It" Players! Sporting actors aged fifty to eighty years old, this musical, in particular, seems especially appropriate. I don't know if they'll still be able to have a Red Garter band for the music, but I'm sure it will be a fabulous show. I just wish it were closer to me.
Hey! Maybe it will be so successful that they will take the show on the road!
A girl can dream...
So, in response to Ms. Lannen and her plea, and in memory of Mother Pat Landers, I am again casting my support into this venture.
This time, I'm pledging on the very first day, too.
Here's hoping my fifty-three buckaroos, one for each year I've been on this dear blue-green orb, will help make this dream reality. A musical full of life - what a birthday gift that will be for me!

aging flappers need diamonds and pearls!

Debbie Lannen and the Spotlight "Still Got It" Players want to put on a musical!!!
Sure, sure, the troupe is in Canton, Michigan, so the likelihood of me actually seeing the show is pretty much nil.
However, in memory of my dear mother-in-law, Pat Landers, I am supporting this kickstarter venture. If she were still alive, I just know she would be part of this production, too. And she would definitely be there in the audience of "Flapper!"!
I'm joining this party late - the funding goal deadline is today - but I'm hoping for the best. This is the second run at funding this show. I've kicked in $69 to help make their show happen.
Fingers crossed!

genesis: air, water, life

Rachel Strickland wants to tell the story of the creation of life, but she does not have the technology needed to construct her Petri dish.
That's right: Petri dish.
Right off the bat, she's using scientific terminology - and using it in its full context - and that is what hooked me.
Of course, the fact that she is also a dancer probably helped to set the hook.
So, this kickstarter project, set in lovely San Francisco (home of my SAR best friend), became my last project of the day for funding. I've tossed $LIV (hint: Roman numerals) into this quest for a dream come true. That amount makes it an early birthday gift to me, as I cannot imagine my ever giving the dvd to anyone else.
Sure, I'll share it. You bet I will!
I just might make the gumbo, too, and share that with family and friends! (Shhh! It's a top-secret recipe!)
If I can make it to the show, that would be pretty gratifying, too.
But the video is going to be mine!
I know, I know, I sound pretty confident of that.
Well, here is the reason. "Genesis: Air, Water, Life" has already reached its funding goal of $2000.00. Within 24 hours of the project's launch, Madame Rex, aerialist and hoop dancer, had the funds, plus some. Pretty amazing, and quite a vote of confidence!
To quote her: From every bit of the stardust in me, thank you all!
From every bit of the stardust in me, thank You.
What a wonderful birthday gift this will be!

rosemary's cabaret

I was actively seeking to complete my kickstarter wheel and found this project.
The category satisfied by this choice is "dance".
The project is named in memory of his grandmother, who died of breast cancer, and in honor of his mother, a breast cancer survivor. You see, every year, his mother's group, Team Rosemary, participates in the Race For The Cure in Philadelphia. This project is a fundraiser for that group, too.
How could I not be a backer, having read all of that? I am so very fortunate that breast cancer has not struck down any of those I hold dear... yet. I have known, through six degrees of separation (sometimes less) several women who have died from this cancer, women of all ages.
I now have a breast cancer survivor in my family, on my ex's side, in Tennessee. She has not yet hit that magical five-year cancer-free mark, but I hope she will.
So, in honor of Gwen Ladd, I'm putting some money into this project.
What do I get in return? Well, I'll have my name listed as a "Patron" in the program for the dance that Tim Chester and his troupe will perform at the fundraiser.
Oh, one more reward - personal satisfaction.
That's always a good thing to have.

a circus burlesque

They had me at "burlesque".
That's one of my magic words, like "adventure".
Even though they're in Texas and I will most likely never get to see a live performance.
But the shows at Club One, here in Savannah, can come pretty close!
Here's how they introduce the Lipschtick Collective:
It wasn’t until their mid-teens that four lonely lipschtick-ers, each of whom had a peculiarly gaudy aesthetic informed by their distinctively Jewish families, finally found each other. Their aesthetic was honed as they grew closer and over the years they attracted a whole collective of people with enough chutzpah to let their freak flags fly.
Bloody marvelous!!!
Apparently, I am not the only one who agrees with that assessment, as they have surpassed their funding goal by 50%. Sah-weet!
I'll look forward to that thank-you letter with its "juicy kiss"!