Mme Berthe of Broadway

Madame Berthe was a New York costumier who worked between the 1930s to the 1970s.

She is credited as designing the costumes for the 1944 Broadway Variety show, Take a Bow and for the 1932 musical revue, Hey Nonny Nonny! which played at the Shubert Theatre.

Mme Berthe is also linked to the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo when in 1940  Leonide Massine was artistic director of the company having taken over from
Massine collaborated with The New Yorker illustrator, Rea Irvine using his illustrations as inspiration for characters in the ballet while Mme Berthe executed the designs.

Judging by the three costumes I have collected, her designs are made with an attention to detail and made to endure; strong foundations, thick layers of fabric, heavy duty zips and hand sewn clusters of beads and crystals.

Mme Berthe dress, with Grace Cherry and Lady Lola. Hobart 2010 Photo by Ella B

 Suzy Benzinger a current costume designer for Broadway remembers Mme Berthe from the 1970's as one of the major costumiers in New York.

Mme Berthe's signature labels shows her at 110 West 47th st

This black corset is from the 1950's. It is made in layers of thick cotton, whale boning and black silk. 

It is finished with glass beading, sequins and lace. 

The edges are scalloped with modesty panels at the front and back illusion lace over the bust.

Photo courtesy of the seller

Photo courtesy of the seller

The seller was unsure if the original belt has been switched out for the heavily sequined belt, I found a photo of a similar costume by Mme Berth which had a similar bodysuit and the same belt.
The seller had purchased the costume from MGM in California.

Three costumes auctioned off in 2008 under 'Broadway costumes' one is credited to Mme Berthe

Mme Berthe knickers from the United States. Seller had no information on provenance.

Mme Berthe knickers- nylon mesh and rhinestone

This Tag lists Mme Berthe at 539 Broadway- New York

Zip at back

My favourite item is another Etsy find. The seller was based in Hollywood and didn't know much about the provenance. She listed the dress under vintage burlesque which is how I found it...

Mme Berthe fishtail gown

The yellow gown is heavy, The hem is lined with weights to keep the tulle inserts that flare the fishtails down. The bead work is exquisite, sequins, seed pearls, pronged crystals, gold glass bugle beeds and clusters of wispy silken flowers and white leaves, hand cut and hand sewen on the beaded panels.

It is boned through the bodice and has a heavy duty metal zip at the rear. The fabric is chiffon on top of silk.

Photo by Bret Salinger The 2011 Australian Burlesque Festival

The gown was gifted to me and after some use in shows, I no longer wear it on stage as it is very fragile... But I do use it in photoshoots... A recent shoot below...

Photo by Bret Salinger

Photo by Bret Salinger

The Australian Burlesque Festival 2012 (Melbourne)

When you live in Tasmania, you tend to hear a lot about flight delays. It's a topic of conversation that arises as often as the weather so it was no surprise when my flight to Melbourne for the Australian Burlesque Festival touched down two hours late.
A quick trip on the Skybus to Southern Cross Station and a run across the street to Vibe Savoy Hotel where I disturbed a drowsy Oopsy Daisy, my room mate for the weekend.

Oopsy Daisy had performed that evening and was crashing after being on a performance high. Baby Bombshells is the first official night of the Festival featuring up and coming performers in a friendly competition. The prize is a spot in the Big Tease, ABF's classic burlesque showcase, in Melbourne.
Oopsy had been first up and distinguished herself by tripping on to the stage in front of some of her idols,the judges, Peekaboo Pointe, Anna Fur Laxis and Tasia. Her drowsiness was only second to her anxiety over her trip up the stage!

On Friday morning we broke fast at Kinfolk, a local cafe staffed by volunteers on bourke street. Cheap and tasty and after I questioned our waitress intently, we found that the staff are more than happy to work as volunteers although I think the free coffees they score keep them going!

Oopsy Daisy at Kinfolk

Kinfolk

We mooned around Melbourne before I whipped my hair up, packed a bag and boarded a train to Thornbury where I was performing in the Thornbury Theatre as part of ABF's Empress Erotique show.
I loved the blue facade of the theatre which sat on the main strip.

Thornbury Theatre

The tech run was delayed  which gave us plenty of time to relax back stage...

Backstage refreshments

Backstage at Empress Erotique with Coppelia Jane

Everyone gets ready differently, some of us plug our ears and rehearse, some get into the zone, but Lola the Vamp I caught having a nap on the couch- no pre performance nerves for her!
The backstage area was a large airy function room lined with floor to ceiling mirrors
 To get to the Green room we had to exit a side door, bypass the kitchen and mount some stairs.

Lola the Vamp ready to go!

Performing Sirenes at Empress Erotique

Raven in the Green room

Betty Blood keeping it clean for the censors

I quickly changed into a white sequin maxi dress from the Chelsea flea markets in NYC during the interval to watch the second half from the front- not before jumping behind the merch table to give Miss Jane a hug. We met at the Perth International Burlesque Festival in May. Jane performed in the Big Tease at the Hi Fi the following night.

With Miss Jane Doe behind the merch table

Saturday was a slow day of shopping, walking and coffee with the girls from Miss Kitty's Meow who were there to support their third, Oopsy Daisy (and I like to think me too!)
We got ourselves dolled up and caught a tram up to Flinders st to join the line for The Big Tease at the Hi Fi. Headliners Lou Lou D'Vil, Miss La Vi Da and Anne Fur Laxis were easily my favourites of the night. We headed back to the hotel after the show, Melbourne was settling in for a long night of drizzling rain and we had early flights back to Hobart!

Showing off a Moro Landis showgirl costume

Moro Landis was a Vegas based production company formed by George Moro and Ruth Landis, two young Vaudeville dancers. The company was housed in a large building which had rehearsal studios, sewing and set rooms. Everything was made in house, acts were choreographed and costumes such as the two below were designed and made.

Moro Landis dance troupes performed all over the country and were resident dancers at the Sahara and the El Rancho in Las Vegas.

Photo by Bret Salinger

Photo by Bret Salinger

1973 film starring Kim Novak and Tony Curtis 'Third Girl From the Left' apparently featured Moro Landis costumes

The fringing is a little faded but the actual construction has no obvious faults, no rips, tears or breakaways.

The feather boa trim is in good condition

Moro Landis Production label.

Side view

Similar costume on Ebay 2006

I also purchased a Moro Landis show girl costume from a different seller.
It's a two piece black sequined corset with matching ostrich feather and tulle skirt. This one's currently in storage as it's very delicate and faded.

The purple chiffon is faded and a bit dirty but I love the contrast it would have made

The feathers are more of a dull grey than deep black and the sequined appliques are falling off in some sections

Perth International Burlesque Festival

Pickled sharks, retro markets, a tour of Perth's suburbs and a variance of burlesque, the first Perth  International Burlesque Festival was a welcome invitation to perform and visit the sunnier side of Australia.

I arrived late on Friday night after spending hours in transit and was picked up by Anne, one of my hosts for the weekend. She cast amazed judgement at my small suitcase and shuttled me to the home she shares with her partner, Ben and a friendly street cat, Chat. Home is a low slung, art filled bungalow in the rejuvenated suburb of Maylands around the corner from a strip of cafes and antique shops.

Saturday started slowly, a warm day with clear skies. After helping me stow my suitcase in the boot, Ben and Anne took me on a driving tour of Perth ending with lunch at Ootong & Lincoln in Fremantle which has an amazing gluten free and vegetarian menu as well as meat for the carnivores. I had pumpkin and Parmesan soup and a soy flat white which was glorious. The cafe was furnished with retro furniture, old school tricycles and had some incredible photographs of Antarctica on the wall, printed on glass plates.

Photo from Perthnow.com

We still had a couple of hours to spare before the tech run so we visited the wharf with its submarine docked near the maritime museum which housed amongst the yachts a large pickled shark in a tank.

A quick drive took us to Fremantle's Fly by Night Theatre, a wooden hall with a good sized stage and bar that ran the length of the back wall.
We had two green rooms to use which were quickly filled with props, costumes, hair rollers and wine glasses. I snagged half a couch for my costume pieces, Sirenes doesn't require much in the way of costume but the beading tangles. Once ready, I spent the evening trading stories with the interstate and local performers- Danica Lee, Silla Black, Agatha Frisky, Renee Pilkington, Coco Poppin and Adora Derriere-  the usual backstage gossip, primping and teasing of hair and egos.

Silla Black and Renee Pilkington backstage in the Green room

Fuelling up backstage

'Sirenes' Photo by John Leonard

'Sirenes' Photo by John Leonard

Onstage felt great, one of those performances where you finish and want to dive back on and do it all again. The audience was welcoming and appreciative and the performers were able to watch the other acts from the wings.
We finished late and ended the night with tea in Maylands, a very proper evening.

Saturday night curtain call
Photo by John Leonard

If Saturday started slowly then Sunday started with a whimper. Chat needed breakfast and I required the warm embrace of a barista brewed coffee. I piled Chat's bowl high and walked around the corner to Chapels on Whatley, a busy cafe that refused me table service as I wasn't ordering food. I hung back with the extensive range of teas and teapots on display until I could escape back to my temporary home's sun drenched front veranda and soak in some vitamin D.

Anne and Chat

A couple of hours later saw Anne, Ben and I brunching at West End Deli. I had an omlette, Ben the duck and Anne stuck to traditional bacon and eggs.

Sunday brunch at West End Deli

We returned to the Fly By Night to check out the Retro fair before heading back to Maylands to change for the closing party, The Swing Soiree, an evening of swing dancing, cocktails and cold fries.

Swing dancing at the Sunday Swing Soiree

Swing Soiree with Silla Black, Becky Page, Agatha Frisky

 
After a quick change into something more comfortable, Melbourne performer, Ginger Leah Raye and I  made tracks to the airport to catch the same delayed flight. With hours to wait, we welcomed the airport bar, tended by a make up artist who had been backstage on Saturday night. Cue free drinks and happy smiles from Ginger and I from Perth to Melbourne.

The New Orleans Burlesque Festival

Like many occupations, burlesque has a learning curve.
One does not generally get on stage and perform, rather, classes are taken, performances are attended and before clothes are removed, performers learn to delicately, coquettishly pick them up.

In Tasmania, we skipped a few steps, bringing burlesque to a corner of the world that is famous for it's apples, forests and fresh air rather than tassels, pasties and g-strings.
I was part of the group that introduced burlesque to Hobart in late 2007. We did often pick up after each other but not with the dedication of a stage kitten whose sole purpose on stage is to slink across and pick up every discarded glove, boa and skirt in mere seconds.
Not being above any facet of burlesque I attended two Festivals in the United States where I worked at picking it up rather than taking it off.

 Backstage at Harrah's with Cherry Bombshell and Stephanie Blake aka Cimmaron

The New Orleans Burlesque Festival was an intense, incredible experience.

I worked as one of two pick up girls over three nights and five shows at the New Orleans Burlesque Festival. I met all the performers, had a dedicated look at the way in which costumes were removed- with a flick, a pull or a zip- watching intently as each costume piece was removed and discarded so as to enable a quick clearance of the stage 

Photo by Andreas Koch

I had a chance to mingle with performers I never thought I'd meet, let alone talk to, including legends, Rita Alexandar, Bambi Jones and Tiffany Carter.
The Festival was devoid of divas. Backstage was relaxed, friendly and happy. Standing with performers back stage, I was struck by the nervous tension most of us display before hitting the stage.
Catherine D'Lish was a revelation- relaxed and easy going, she got ready then waited patiently in the darkened wings, stretching her shoulders, testing the ropes of her web at Harrah's, chatting to emcee, Armitage Shanks at The House of Blues no tension showed in her face or body.

From L- R, Rita Alexander the Champagne Girl, Tiffany Carter, Bambi Jones
Burlesque Legends panel.

The Festival was run smoothly by director Rick DeLaup, a quiet, generous individual who genuinely wants to preserve and showcase past and present burlesque performers.
As a Stage Kitten, I was afforded the opportunity to meet and mix with all the performers and to attend all the shows. There were no constraints upon my time, I arrived backstage approximately an hour before the show started to do my hair and make up with Cherry Bombshell in one of the dressing rooms backstage.
The backstage crew were amazing, producer Dave Bishop was a pleasure to work with. Clear instructions with a direct and upbeat attitude at all times.
Having worked with a live band as both a producer and performer, I understand the challenge that the Festival's jazz band faced, working with numerous scores and having to deal with tits and arse shaking in their faces for hours. Poor souls, they played on and by golly, I believe they managed to grin and bear it...

After the Queen of Burlesque Show at Harrah's Cherry and I hurried to the Republic for the Queen's Ball. After a quick sponsorship spot for Secrets in Lace Lingerie, one of the Festival's major sponsors, we were able to retire our girdles and bras, change into frocks and join the party with a bottle of champagne, shared with all and sundry. I have never had so many people comment on my outfit, or rather the amount of skin I was covering. "You're in a dress!" was an oft repeated comment through the night from people who had only seen me in a lingerie set over the past three nights.

L-R Evelyn DeVere, Lucy, Medianoche Bur Lesque, Rick De Laup, Lou Lou D'Vil, Bettina May. Photo by Jeff Biz Teachworth

Of the five nights I spent in New Orleans, four were dedicated to the Festival. I managed one tour of the French Quarter organised by the delicious Calamit. Y Chang and her partner. Along with Betsy Bottom Dollar and Peekaboo Pointe we walked the dark hot streets of the French Quarter trying to spot ghosts. Following some Southern fried cooking, overlooked on the preceding four nights when I had to wear a lingerie set, I scooted back to the Westin. My room mate had left in the early hours of the morning after the Queens Ball leaving my double room devoid of feathers, gems and friendly chat.

My mini break, a holiday within a holiday was over, but it was a highpoint, the Festival, the city, the French Quarter, the music, the people, the steamy nights. New Orleans, I'll be back.

Check out the acts from  The New Orleans Burlesque Festival on You Tube