Exploring burlesque in Boston means looking back to the 1800s, to a neighborhood called Scollay Square. Though originally built as a cultural attraction for Boston elite, by the 1920s Scollay Square had become something of a mecca for oddballs and thrillseekers. A doomsday cult moved in, popular comedians hosted racy shows and purveyors of vaudeville and dance entertained into the wee hours. That is until 1961 when the Square’s epicenter, the legendary Old Howard Theatre, burned down under mysterious circumstances. Before long Scollay Square was sacrificed to the gods of progress -- to curb the city’s raunch factor, Boston officials razed the area to make way for Government Center. No more feathers or tassels or corsets or fishnets. Just acres of cold, flat cement plaza and a bunch of staid office buildings.

The only memento left from old Scollay was a memorial marker on Congress Street. That is, until the Burlesque Revival Association came along in 2000. BRA, as it was fondly known, was formed by Boston’s avant-everything artist Trista Beard and actress/dancer Sarah Lafferty, later joined by dancer Amy Harmon. These were denizens of the edgy, fertile underground cabaret scene that brings music together with performance art of all kinds. If indie rock is a subculture, ***this*** scene is a sub-subculture that included (and still does include) performers like Rick Berlin, Kitty Heels (Leigh Calabrese), Leah Callahan, Amanda Palmer, Cynthia von Buhler and the Sob Sisters. BRA was a sassy troupe of attractive girls with superior showmanship. They performed consistently for a few years, bringing sex and laughter together in order to truly capture the campy baseness of old burlesque.

The founders of BRA have relocated. But once planted, the seeds of burlesque revival were destined to flourish, and Boston is home to several troupes of successful shimmy-shimmy-shakers. Boston Babydolls, Black Cat Burlesque and Thru the Keyhole Burlesque are three of the best-known acts, primarily because they all perform along with rock bands in favorite clubs.

So what is burlesque, and how is it different from stripping? For some, there’s no difference. For others, it’s the music. But for the performers, it goes much deeper than that. It’s about the intent. “There are crucial differences!” says Ol’ Scratch, the master of ceremonies for the Boston Babydolls. “The intention of the stripper is to separate the audience from their money and to sell the illusion of sex. It’s about arousal. Burlesque is primarily about entertainment. Modern burlesque dancers don’t get naked.” Ol’ Scratch, who says he has the “best job in the world,” explains that the original burlesque from the late 1800s was comical, women dressing as men and making fun of things. “It was like fool’s parade.”

“Today we’re so desensitized to nudity,” says Mandy Ness of Thru the Keyhole. “Burlesque seems tame by today’s standards, but back then that was RACY.” With this troupe you get nine statuesque beauties with creamy skin and expertly-sewn costumes who perform with the cohesion of the Rockettes. Though they stay true to old burlesque, they make sure they can perform an act suitable for mixed audiences for when they perform at events like car shows. “You have to know your audience. You can’t flash your pasties with five year olds around.”

When asked about the burlesque revival, Mandy can’t say enough good things about her Thru the Keyhole partner Jessica Sciullo (who was part of BRA) or Miss Firecracker, currently of Black Cat Burlesque, but she also has seen a number of nightclub acts that aren’t quite up to Thru the Keyhole’s standards. “Today a lot of the troupes that are popping up are using the word burlesque without properly realizing what it is,” Mandy explains. “I see things that are true to burlesque fashion, and I see things I would never in a million years consider to be burlesque. Let’s just say there’s a lack of quality control when it comes to using certain terminology.”

Speaking of Miss Firecracker, her Black Cat Burlesque might be the wildest act of its kind. This squad, which includes illustrator Mister Reusch, blends elements of burlesque with an aggressive dose of dark arts, the result being a sort of grimoire ritual set to music.

While these burlesque acts are different in style and execution, each troupe shares the same intent; they perform with a fierce desire to entertain their audience, and in their sense of humor embrace a sincere devotion to the spirit of old burlesque. Viva Scollay Square!

GO SEE SOME

Black Cat Burlesque(www.blackcatburlesque.com)
May 12th, 2006: 15th Annual Boston
B&D Ball, Cyclorama (8pm)

Boston Babydolls (www.bostonbabydolls.net)
April 30, 2006: Paradise Lounge (8pm)
May 14, 2006: CLASS on “Instant
Burlesque Queen” at Rock City Body Studio (3-6pm)
May 21, 2006: Paradise Lounge (8pm)

Thru the Keyhole Burlesque (www.thruthekeyhole.com)
April 27th. 2006, Ladies’ Night, Jorge Hernandez Cultural Center (7pm)

(Originally in Noise issue 261 "WORD ON THE STREET" column)