Costumes, Corsets and... erm... Ghost Babies...

Hello from London!

Yes, I've officially moved the the bright lights of the big city, and I jumped straight in at the deep end with my first job on the day of the move!

I was filming a promo video for the Old Vic Theatre, advertising their forthcoming production of Hedda Gabler and I was acting as a body double for the lead character.

The filming location was a glorious old house in the centre of London: I later found out it was both haunted, and had been used as the location for the film The King's Speech!

This was 'The Kings Speech' room

The costume was lovely, but very heavy and hot: I wore a shift petticoat, a very severe corset, a long petticoat, two bustle pads, a blue dress skirt and a long-sleeved button front jacket with a bustle and drape effect at the back - gorgeous but restrictive and a little claustrophobic, especially once the wig was on as well!

I shot several scenes for the film, from banging on doors to setting fire to an old manuscript! However after running down a flight of stairs twenty times (in a corset and heels!) I realised why they had requested a body double!

Mirror Picture: In costume

As I mentioned earlier, the house was definitely haunted: as I was shooting one scene (running down a corridor) I ran into the main entrance hall of the house, and from the floors above came the sound of a baby crying! How spooky!

The spooky sound of the crying baby came from up here somewhere!

It was a long and tiring day, but I can't wait to see the final result - I shall post it as soon as I can!

xx

Stage to Screen

A few weeks ago a received a very exciting phone call from Granada TV asking me to be a featured extra in an episode of Coronation Street!! The scene was to be set in a strip club, but for obvious reasons they couldn't have strippers on Corrie so they chose a pole dancer and a burlesque dancer (me!)

Roxy on set

Filming took place in a venue near Manchester City Centre on a rainy, miserable morning. I arrived there and met Roxy (amazing pole dancer) and began a very, very long day of waiting around! I had taken a selection of things to wear, based on their specifications: not too much cleavage, no bums or "front bums* on show, midriffs are fine as long as there's not too much flesh on show, etc etc. However, we encountered a slight problem when they informed me that my outfit wasn't suitable as I was wearing stockings and a deep suspender belt, and they are prohibited items before the watershed!! Who would have thought?! So the costume department hurriedly found me a replacement item: which was too big...

Being sewn into my costume

They filmed me doing a basic fan dance but because there was to be dialogue during the scene, they played the first ten seconds of the track, cut the music, called 'Action' and I had to mime a fan dance for about four minutes while the scene went on to the right of me! I've never danced to silence before! Haha!

Because I don't watch Coronation Street, I actually had no idea who was who, or what the storyline was: my Grandma had to fill me in when I rang her later that evening! However it was an interesting day, and I'll possibly be on screen for all of about a nano-second on the 17th May!

 

Sneaky pictures in-between takes

A few days later, 'The Burlesque Show' tour picked back up again, this time at The Forum Theatre in Barrow for a small but appreciative audience.

Poster outside the auditorium

The stage show was as wonderful as ever - hosted again by the divine Lili La Scala - and the backstage shenanigans were just as fun as the performances!

The Afro-Pictures continue...

Mirror Picture! With  Fancy Chance, Coco Malone, Lili La Scala, Jim Devereaux and Elliot Mason

What to hang on a clothes rail when there are no clothes!

The next morning we all rendezvoused at a local cafe for breakfast: tired after drinking and gossiping half the night!

Fancy Chance asleep on Jim Devereaux

Our second show was at the Gatehouse Theatre in Stafford: a lovely little town - or what we saw of it as we staggered towards Starbucks was lovely anyway! - and in contrast to the previous show, we had completely sold-out!

Coco Malone sound-checking in the theatre

The show was hosted by the incredible Laurie Hagen - she is like a Tim Burton character come to life, full of bizarre energy and infectious humour, and the audience adored her!
Everyone really got into the spirit of the night and thoroughly enjoyed the show: It is sometimes difficult in a theatre setting to encourage the audience into participating as fully as they would in a cabaret venue, as there is the perception of the 'invisible fourth wall' which doesn't usually exist in burlesque, and performers such as Laurie and Fancy do their best to shatter!

The Boys changing room :P

The Girls mirror-picture! With Vicky Butterfly, Coco Malone, Laurie Hagen and Fancy Chance

The Afro-Picture

Read about other stops on 'The Burlesque Show' tour: this one? Or maybe this one...