Charlotte Observer - Cover of the Style Section - November 1st 2007

IF THE SHOE FITS
Burlesque show reveals more than you might expect
Troupe displays beauty, confidence...and a little skin
RACHEL SUTHERLAND

In some circles, a woman taking off her clothes for an audience would be considered demeaning objectification.

What would it be if the stripping were born of a woman's mind and incorporated wit, art and confidence?

In the case of Big Mamma's House of Burlesque, scheduled to take the stage Nov. 10 at the Visulite Theatre, it is a welcome example of empowerment.

"It's not dirty or lewd or lascivious," says Big Mamma D (also known as Deana Pendragon), creator and performer with the Charlotte-based troupe.

There's no nudity, but there's likely to be a flash of pastie-covered breasts during some, but not all, of the performances.

"It's more of this girl (onstage) is proud of what she is, she's beautiful and confident, and she's doing it because she loves it," D says.

Burlesque as a stage art has gone through many manifestations since its heyday in the early 1900s. Most revues are a combination of music, sketch comedy, vaudeville and women performing a striptease.

The art form has experienced a resurgence in recent years, and in cities such as Los Angeles and New York, it's edgier, D says.

Big Mamma and her crew practice a more classic burlesque. "We do themed acts, with more wit and comedy in them," she says. "There's a little flash (of skin) at the end, but we're more the thinking person's fun."

Big Mamma's show isn't just women performing -- though she says the show draws more female than male audience members -- there are men in the mix, too, as vaudeville performers.

Getting the show to the stage wasn't as difficult as you might think, D says, given that she had no experience with burlesque.

"We all have seen the movie `Gypsy,' right?" says D.

"I just started coming up with ideas on my own, about what I wanted to see in a show," she says. "How can we make this intelligent, sexy, entertaining and fun, really show it off?"

The troupe debuted in August 2006. The performers are all paid, D says, unless they decline.

"I didn't have an artistic outlet at the time," she says. She jokes she's now got two full-time jobs: a professional 9-to-5 gig as a regional administrator and den mother to a stable of local performers.

The group performs every other month in Charlotte, takes on private parties and joins other burlesque groups on the road.

The Visulite gig will feature more than 15 performers, including the Charlotte-based crew, as well as performers from Asheville and Atlanta. Also scheduled to appear are Hannibal the Magician, the Singin' Cowboy Hickry Hawkins, DJ Scott Weaver and Monkey, the Pick Up Artist (the person who collects the clothes off the stage after each act).

The bold representation of women owning their sexuality starts at the top with Big Mamma.

"I've never had a fondness for the overly skinny (women), the ones you just want to feed a sandwich to," she says. "There's a certain level of beauty in women sizes 6 to 14."

She interviews each performer, who range in age from 25-38, when looking for new talent. She doesn't hold traditional performance-based auditions, she says. If you don't have the sparkle off the stage, it won't work.

"We've got vivacious women on stage... They exude so much confidence, they've got pride in what they're doing," D says.

"It's not something that seems wrong."

Big Mamma's House of Burlesque

WHEN: Nov. 10. Doors open at 9 p.m., show starts at 10 p.m.

WHERE: Visulite Theatre, 1615 Elizabeth Ave.

TICKETS: ages 18 and older only; $12 in advance, $15 at door.

DETAILS: 704-358-9200; www.visulite.com, www.bigmammasproductions.com

Rachel Sutherland
Rachel Sutherland: 704-258-5440; rsutherland@charlotteobserver.com

Orignially published HERE