Thoughts on Alice in Sexyland
Last night my_daroga, friends and I went to see an Alice and Wonderland burlesque.
The burlesque was okay. It was set in Wonderland, at the Looking Glass club, which was hosted by the White Rabbit. Alice tumbled through the looking glass into the club, along with her reflection (so, two Alices, ripe for Alice-on-Alice action). The Alices watched performances introduced by the White Rabbit, which included numbers by the Caterpillar, the Queen's flamingos, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, Chesire Cat, and the Queen of Hearts.
The numbers themselves didn't have plots. Mostly it was just these characters dancing, sometimes in comedic, sometimes suggestive, usually both ways, and usually stripping down to underwear by the end. The Tweedles didn't strip. Chesire Cat was the only male performance (besides the Rabbit, who only sang), and instead of stripping, he leapt out from behind a couch wearing only scanty shiny underwear and a magnificent beard. Then he proceeded to scratch the furniture, hump the couch, and get himself dressed like a big pimp, complete with fabulous jewelry and a cheetah coat. I thought he was hottest but for the Alices. I can't tell because whether it was a guy and I'm mostly hetrosexual, whether it was because he was just so self-confident and flamboyant, or whether it was because it was so entirely ridiculous and funny, and maybe I was embarrassed. Perhaps all three?
Anyway, I had high hopes for the production. I thought that it was going to involve a little more story. It could have been a very flimsy story. Alice could have fallen into Wonderland, and then run into each of these characters, who then performed for her. But instead it was very, "This is a show. You are going to see this number. Now you will see this number." When I thought about it, I started coming up with (what I think are) very cool ideas. For instance, the Mad Hatter could be a woman in a tuxedo with a top hat. One of those, you know, sexy wrong girl tuxes. She could have been dominatrixy, which would have been interesting juxtaposed against a very quaint tea party--or it could have been a less juxtaposey cocktail party, where Alice could have gotten drunk and there could have been shenanigans.
But anyway, the Hatter could be this whole underworld of BDSM take-charge female lesbian power. Each scene could have been a new world of sex and squalor (but the good kind) to which Alice was exposed. Instead, the Hatter they had rushed around giving everyone tea, and then had to give everyone napkins, but started running out, until of course she had to give people pieces of clothing with which to wipe their mouths. Sure, this is entertaining, and plays for comedy, which I suppose burlesque should. And it fits somewhat with the tone of the original Alice, in which the Hatter attempts to control the tea party (iirc) rather than actually controls it, and comes off more as silly than anything else.
When I thought about it more, I thought the Red Queen should be the dominatrix. (But she would succumb to Alice, or all Alice has learned, in the end. That would be hot.)
Anyway, besides thoughts on how the show could've been better, now I have Alice meta, re: versions of Alice, Lewis Caroll, sex and the rabbit hole, and male agency in Wonderland, but my 15 minutes was actually over five minutes ago. So, I'll save it for another time, and instead turn it over to you.
What would you do, in an Alice burlesque show? ETA: I meant to ask with an Alice burlesque show. As in: how would you marry the idea of sexy times to this story? What would the songs be, the costumes, the sets, the dances? How would you tell the story? What would you think about it--would it ruin your Disney-laced or innocent childhood? Who would you cast if you could cast anyone?
But if you want to be *in* an Alice burlesque show, you can tell me what you'd do, too :o)
The burlesque was okay. It was set in Wonderland, at the Looking Glass club, which was hosted by the White Rabbit. Alice tumbled through the looking glass into the club, along with her reflection (so, two Alices, ripe for Alice-on-Alice action). The Alices watched performances introduced by the White Rabbit, which included numbers by the Caterpillar, the Queen's flamingos, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, Chesire Cat, and the Queen of Hearts.
The numbers themselves didn't have plots. Mostly it was just these characters dancing, sometimes in comedic, sometimes suggestive, usually both ways, and usually stripping down to underwear by the end. The Tweedles didn't strip. Chesire Cat was the only male performance (besides the Rabbit, who only sang), and instead of stripping, he leapt out from behind a couch wearing only scanty shiny underwear and a magnificent beard. Then he proceeded to scratch the furniture, hump the couch, and get himself dressed like a big pimp, complete with fabulous jewelry and a cheetah coat. I thought he was hottest but for the Alices. I can't tell because whether it was a guy and I'm mostly hetrosexual, whether it was because he was just so self-confident and flamboyant, or whether it was because it was so entirely ridiculous and funny, and maybe I was embarrassed. Perhaps all three?
Anyway, I had high hopes for the production. I thought that it was going to involve a little more story. It could have been a very flimsy story. Alice could have fallen into Wonderland, and then run into each of these characters, who then performed for her. But instead it was very, "This is a show. You are going to see this number. Now you will see this number." When I thought about it, I started coming up with (what I think are) very cool ideas. For instance, the Mad Hatter could be a woman in a tuxedo with a top hat. One of those, you know, sexy wrong girl tuxes. She could have been dominatrixy, which would have been interesting juxtaposed against a very quaint tea party--or it could have been a less juxtaposey cocktail party, where Alice could have gotten drunk and there could have been shenanigans.
But anyway, the Hatter could be this whole underworld of BDSM take-charge female lesbian power. Each scene could have been a new world of sex and squalor (but the good kind) to which Alice was exposed. Instead, the Hatter they had rushed around giving everyone tea, and then had to give everyone napkins, but started running out, until of course she had to give people pieces of clothing with which to wipe their mouths. Sure, this is entertaining, and plays for comedy, which I suppose burlesque should. And it fits somewhat with the tone of the original Alice, in which the Hatter attempts to control the tea party (iirc) rather than actually controls it, and comes off more as silly than anything else.
When I thought about it more, I thought the Red Queen should be the dominatrix. (But she would succumb to Alice, or all Alice has learned, in the end. That would be hot.)
Anyway, besides thoughts on how the show could've been better, now I have Alice meta, re: versions of Alice, Lewis Caroll, sex and the rabbit hole, and male agency in Wonderland, but my 15 minutes was actually over five minutes ago. So, I'll save it for another time, and instead turn it over to you.
What would you do, in an Alice burlesque show? ETA: I meant to ask with an Alice burlesque show. As in: how would you marry the idea of sexy times to this story? What would the songs be, the costumes, the sets, the dances? How would you tell the story? What would you think about it--would it ruin your Disney-laced or innocent childhood? Who would you cast if you could cast anyone?
But if you want to be *in* an Alice burlesque show, you can tell me what you'd do, too :o)