West and Clear’s weekend events: Burlesque edition

by Steve Smith of West and Clear

OK, peoples, it’s quiz time. Burlesque is: A) A humorous theatrical entertainment, a populist melange of performance art and adult entertainment. Or B) Just a nice way to say strippers. How you answer that question will determine to a great degree whether or not you are going to want to read the rest of this post. If answer “A” — keep reading. If you answer “B” — consider more thoughtful entertainment at The Jubilee Theatre, Stage West or The Modern below. And be aware that viewing may be Not Safe For Work (NSFW). View at your own discretion. You have been warned.

OK, now that we’ve gotten rid of the prudes, check this out. NSFW is in the eye of the beholder — this would probably fly at my office, at others, maybe not. By 2009 Internet standards, it’s actually pretty tame.

Anyway, that is the Pretty Things Peepshow, a vintage style traveling burlesque road show that is appearing tonight at Lola’s Stockyards. This amazing cast includes Amy, whose talents you just witnessed above, Bettina May, Miss Heather Holliday, the sword swallowing sensation, Angelica the tattooed sideshow siren extraordinaire, the host Mr. Vincent Drambuie and special local guest star Lulu Lollipop from the Peek-a-boo revue in Philadelphia. Doors at 9, Show at 10. Price is $10.

Anyway, since the Broken Social Scene show got canceled, you are looking for something edgy and different anyway. (But here is Broken Social Scene on Letterman in 2006 to give you your fix anyway):

Saturday

* Dinner at Grady’s: Well, Grady Spears doesn’t seem to be one to settle down — he’s cashed out of Dutch’s and Lambert's and opened Grady’s in the Park Hill - Berkeley - Mistletoe Heights triangle, the space formerly occupied by La Chardonnay and Pegasus. As you might expect, there’s exotic game and chicken fried things aplenty. Drop by for dinner — it’s only open Tuesday through Saturday evening beginning at 5. Call 817.922.9980 for reservations.

* Beethoven Program at FWSO: One of my literary heroes is James Agee, the journalist, poet, novelist and father of modern film criticism. He was a huge Beethoven fan and would work late into the night during his tenure at Fortune Magazine in the mid-1930s, high up in the newly constructed Chrysler Building clacking out his latest story fueled by Beethoven records at eardrum shattering levels. In fact, he gave this bit of listening advice to a friend:

“Get a radio or phonograph capable of the most extreme loudness possible, and sit down and listen to a performance of Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony …. But I don’t just mean sit down and listen. I mean this: turn it on as loud as you can get it. Then get down on the floor and jam your ear as close to the loudspeaker as you can get it and stay there, breathing as lightly as possible, and not moving, and neither eating nor smoking nor drinking. Concentrate everything you can into your hearing and your body. You won’t hear it nicely. If it hurts you, be glad of it … Your body is no longer your shape and substance, it is the shape and substance of music.”

My music listening habits are a tad more moderate, but my love of the Beethoven’s Seventh is just as ardent. Here is the great Herbert von Karajan conducting:

The Fort Worth Symphony’s tribute to Beethoven features pianist Ang Li performing another favorite, the Fourth Piano Concerto, famous for its poetic opening (watch below). Performances are scheduled for Friday and Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.