Description: Burlesque
Location: West Street Live
Address: West Street, Sheffield, Yorkshire, S1 4ES
(EDIT, 11th March 2012 @ 18:20. Facebookers can see photos from the night here, courtesy of the beautiful Deadly Nightshade).
Secrets of the Boudoir Burlesque may be four years old, but like many brilliant young things, it's already started school - it's own school in fact - Where two of the stars of Secrets, Deadly Nightshade and Cherry Du Bois turn teacher. I first heard of Secrets around two years ago, and have made my way to five or six of the events, including themes as diverse as musicals, movies, hallowe'en, the circus and Christmas, as well as the Oxjam Special last year (for Oxfam). This time, it was the turn of the pirates to pillage the ever-wonderful hosts, West Street Live.
Secrets of the Boudoir Burlesque may be four years old, but like many brilliant young things, it's already started school - it's own school in fact - Where two of the stars of Secrets, Deadly Nightshade and Cherry Du Bois turn teacher. I first heard of Secrets around two years ago, and have made my way to five or six of the events, including themes as diverse as musicals, movies, hallowe'en, the circus and Christmas, as well as the Oxjam Special last year (for Oxfam). This time, it was the turn of the pirates to pillage the ever-wonderful hosts, West Street Live.
| Tahlullah Manhattan as "The Siren" |
For the second event running, one of the graduates of Deadly NightShade and Cherry Du Bois's Secrets school performed - this time, as the opening act. Miss Tahlullah Manhattan carefully treaded the line between sweet and sexy, all the while remaining alluring and ethereal as the siren, putting the unwitting crew of the Good Ship West Street Live under her spell with the seeming ease of a long-term performer. Tahlullah is very sexy, and for someone at such a young age and early in her burlesque career, she really is one for the future. I for one hope to see her at many more Secrets nights!
Following Tahlullah was Secrets regular Evie Farrah, for the first of her two performances of the night. Beginning as a pirate before ending up as a mermaid, this routine had all the usual hallmarks of Evie's performances, being lyrical, flowing, and of course, very sexy. Clearly pregnant, Evie was quite clearly revelling in the enhanced bust that only silicone or aconstant dose of progesterone can provide! Some previous dance training/experience is, one would suggest evident here.
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| Kitty Fantastic as "The Lobster" |
Warren Peace, Secrets compère extraordinaire stepped up next in the guise of Skeg-vegas' finest Celine Dion tribute act. Keeping with the nautical theme, Warren sang "My Heart Will Go On" (from Titantic) albeit with slightly saucier words Warren would return later with co-compère Duke O'Growl and perform another fantastically sexually charged performance. Individually, these two are fantastic, but the whole is definitely greater than the sum of the parts.
When Warren left the stage, a friendly crustacean in the form of Kitty Fantastic entered the fray. A nod to Dita's Martini Glass routine, this lobster jumped into the pot, and started bathing in the boiling hot water with the carrots!
Twins Cherry du Boir and Scarlett Noir took to the stage next for a wonderful performance to "Anything You Can Do" from the musical Annie Get Your Gun. As fantastic an example of sibling rivalry as one will ever see, and one which I suspect was not entirely fictional!
Duke O' Growl returned solo to belt out a fabulous rendition of "Sailing", before a real treat for the ladies in the form of the first 'boylesque' performance at Secrets since Doc Le Roc took on Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera back in June 2011. Flixx Démontrant performed a brilliant routine hunting for treasure and inexplicable ending up in his boxer shorts! Regardless, he seemed to go down well (Warren seemed to be a a particular fan!)
Warren and Duke returned for a duet, before Evie Farrah returned for her second performance of the night, a Rio-inspired dance to N*E*R*D's "She Wants to Move". A composition which includes no stripping whatsoever, and yet is always sexy - Evie really is on of my favourite performers!
Belle Nouvelle was next up, performing a wonderful music/burlesque fusion piece with her mermaid. This was certainly one of the highlights of the night, before Duke again returned to sing "Sailing" before Deadly Nightshade brought the Black Magic Woman out. This sexy and quite classical performance probably brought the most whoops and cheers from the crowd of any of the performers that evening. Whilst not spectacular (although Nightshade most certainly can be!) this was a very professional performance, where she really let Deadly Nightshade come to the fore.
Flixx Démontrant returned to headline the night. He again went down very well with my shipmates, by this time all either suffering the effects of the survey or too well lubricated on rum-based cocktails to notice. His final piece really did show that burlesque - watching and performing - really is for both genders, and he danced and thrust his Captain Hook around the small stage. The costuming was, as always, fantastic, with his jacket in particular sending me overboard. Flixx is certainly another act I hope to see more of at Secrets in the future.
With the usual array of stalls around the edge of the bar was here again, including the wonderful Mad Hatters cakes (the cupcakes are better than Fancie - seriously, try the the PB & J cake!) and ever-present Imogen's Imagination with her wonderfully intricate facinators (my favourite was the orchid) alongside newer stalls such as Razorblade Mermaid Jewllery making this a complete experience rather than just a night out. The staff at West Street Live are friendly, and there were even special pirate and nautical themed cocktails on the menu for the evening.
The evening closed, as always, with the raffle, including a wonderful cake from Mad Hatters, loads of goody bags with sweeties and bath products and jewellery courtesy of Razorblade Mermaid and the announcement of the best dressed guest award. For just £7 advanced/£8 on the door, it is cheap enough to prize money away from my Paypal account every three months without being so cheap that lagered-up lads see it as a destination on their Sunday night booze-up - keeping the clientèle very much weighted in favour of females than one may expect for a night of (mostly) women removing their clothes.
Secrets has always been one of my favourite nights in Sheffield, and is always a night I look out for when it comes around. Please though, if you are reading this, I urge you not to go - don't spoil it for the rest of us!
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| Deadly Nightshade as "Black Magic Woman" |
Twins Cherry du Boir and Scarlett Noir took to the stage next for a wonderful performance to "Anything You Can Do" from the musical Annie Get Your Gun. As fantastic an example of sibling rivalry as one will ever see, and one which I suspect was not entirely fictional!
Duke O' Growl returned solo to belt out a fabulous rendition of "Sailing", before a real treat for the ladies in the form of the first 'boylesque' performance at Secrets since Doc Le Roc took on Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera back in June 2011. Flixx Démontrant performed a brilliant routine hunting for treasure and inexplicable ending up in his boxer shorts! Regardless, he seemed to go down well (Warren seemed to be a a particular fan!)
 |
| A sexy Evie Farrah dancing to N*E*R*D's "She Wants To Move" |
Belle Nouvelle was next up, performing a wonderful music/burlesque fusion piece with her mermaid. This was certainly one of the highlights of the night, before Duke again returned to sing "Sailing" before Deadly Nightshade brought the Black Magic Woman out. This sexy and quite classical performance probably brought the most whoops and cheers from the crowd of any of the performers that evening. Whilst not spectacular (although Nightshade most certainly can be!) this was a very professional performance, where she really let Deadly Nightshade come to the fore.
 |
| Flixx Démontrant as Captain Hook |
With the usual array of stalls around the edge of the bar was here again, including the wonderful Mad Hatters cakes (the cupcakes are better than Fancie - seriously, try the the PB & J cake!) and ever-present Imogen's Imagination with her wonderfully intricate facinators (my favourite was the orchid) alongside newer stalls such as Razorblade Mermaid Jewllery making this a complete experience rather than just a night out. The staff at West Street Live are friendly, and there were even special pirate and nautical themed cocktails on the menu for the evening.
The evening closed, as always, with the raffle, including a wonderful cake from Mad Hatters, loads of goody bags with sweeties and bath products and jewellery courtesy of Razorblade Mermaid and the announcement of the best dressed guest award. For just £7 advanced/£8 on the door, it is cheap enough to prize money away from my Paypal account every three months without being so cheap that lagered-up lads see it as a destination on their Sunday night booze-up - keeping the clientèle very much weighted in favour of females than one may expect for a night of (mostly) women removing their clothes.
Secrets has always been one of my favourite nights in Sheffield, and is always a night I look out for when it comes around. Please though, if you are reading this, I urge you not to go - don't spoil it for the rest of us!
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