2009 - Mezmerizing! Vaudeville music & dance!

are you ready for 2009?

Time to gird your loins, because this first month is going to be FANTASTIC!

January 10th - Bellydance Carnival with Mezmer Society, Paolo Garbanzo, Mab Just Mab, and more - Richmond VA
January 11th - Mezmer Society, Paolo Garbanzo, Mab Just Mab, and Mavi @ the Palace of Wonders
January 16th - Cheeky Monkey Sideshow Inauguration Freakathon @ the Palace of Wonders
January 18th - OBAMA WONDERAMA featuring a STAR STUDDED cast! @ the Warehouse Theatre DC

you want details?

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January 10th
Art 6:
6 East Broad St.
Richmond VA 23219
804-343-1406

Come out for a truly exciting and eclectic show featuring bellydance and more!
The show's special guest is Onca O'leary and the Mezmer Society www.barakamundi.com from North Carolina.

There is also a mind-blowing line-up of Bellydance and Sideshow talent from DC, Hampton Roads, Richmond, and Charlottesville.

Tribal fusion, cabaret, ATS, gypsy fusion, sideshow entertainment, and more! There will also be vending by several of our wonderful performers.

The show will be held at Art 6: 6 East Broad, Richmond, VA. Doors open at 7, show starts at 7:30.

MC Mab, Just Mab - DC
Mezmer Society - Ruckus Balkan Music and Dance - NC
Asharah - DC
Romka - DC
Nadia -VA
Fluer De Ebones - VA
Fire in the Belly - VA
Shimmy Mischief - VA

with special guest Paolo Garbanzo - Jester of England!

Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door.

for advance ticket sales, contact joharadance@hotmail.com or 804-307-8814



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January 11, 2009

The Mezmer Society & Friends are bringing the Luscious Cabaret & Balkan Ruckus to the Palace of Wonders. That means brilliant accordion, sultry dance mayhem & inebriate genius. Mavi embodies the darker side of bellydance, & Mab Just Mab, DC's Own Sideshow Girl, simultaneously shocks & stuns. And our special guest, Paolo Garbanzo, the Official Jester of England, is on hand to defy Death & Darwinism with daring feats of dexterity. Bring your friends to dazzle them, & your enemies, because, well, anything can happen when there are five knives in the air...

www.PalaceofWonders.com
Doors 8pm
$10
1210 H St, NE WDC 20002

www.myspace.com/themezmersociety -- see and hear the wonder!
www.garbanzojuggling.com -- Paolo Garbanzo!
www.jaladrum.org - DC's own sideshow girl
www.mavibellydance.com -- Mavi



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January 16th

~CHEEKY MONKEY SIDESHOW's Inauguration Freakathon~
Price: $10.00
@ the Palace of Wonders!

The Presidential Inauguration is coming up and DC is gonna be a circus.

And what does every good circus need? A SIDESHOW!

Cheeky Monkey Sideshow will be there to provide the finest in variety entertainment--

From New York City, CHRIS McDANIEL, the One Man Wild West Show!
"With his genial introductions and rope and gun tricks Chris McDaniel is a crowd-pleasing scene-stealer."
~THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

From Coney Island, the Burlesque Confection, MISS CHERRY DELIGHT!
"One of the funniest burlesque performers out there!"
~Scott Baker, Sideshows by the Seashore

And, of course, the sideshow comedy, magic, and freakery that you've come to love from Cheeky Monkey Sideshow!

So, don't miss out on the show the City Paper called, "Beautiful and bizarre" and the Washington Post called, "Unusually good."

And don't forget, wear your CMSS button for discount admission!

Cheeky Monkey Sideshow~
You'll be Amazed. You'll be Amused. You'll be Just a Little Freaked Out.

Friday, January 16th
Palace of Wonders
1210 H St, NE
Washington, DC

Show starts at 10pm
$10 at the door

palaceofwonders.com
cheekymonkeysideshow.com



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Sunday, January 18, 2009
SAVE THE DATE for an Amazing Inauguration Celebration - Vaudeville style!

OBAMA WONDERAMA!!!

The Warehouse Theatre
1021 7th St., NW, WDC
8 p.m. - 2 a.m.

$25 in advance / $30 at the door

Join us for a Burlesque and Sideshow Inauguration Celebration!!

Featuring Three Sets of Extraordinary Entertainers from DC and NYC! Enjoy drink specials, DJ sets and art galleries between performances!

Featuring a STAR STUDDED CAST! some of the BEST Bulesque and Sideshow performers in the nation!

Ava After Dark,
Bella Donna,
Candy Del Rio,
Clams Casino from NYC,
Dr. Lucky from NYC,
Dulce de Leche from NYC,
Gary Gutter,
L'il Dutch,
Mab Just Mab,
Malibu,
Miss Joule,
DJ P-Vo,
ShortStaxx,
Sugar Ann Spice
and
Swami Yomahmi.

More details and ticket information coming soon!! You DO NOT want to miss this!!!!!

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THE DUTCH OVEN 2009 SPACE ODYSSEY!

EVENT: THE DUTCH OVEN 2009 SPACE ODYSSEY!
DATE & TIME: FRIDAY JANUARY 9, 2009. 10pm
LOCATION: Palace of Wonders – 1210 H St., NE WDC
COST: $10
DETAILS:
Ladies and Gentlemen! Only at the Palace of Wonders ....WITNESS the STARRY SPECTACLE! ... The GLITTERING DEBUT!! of...

Lily Stark White's Original Steampunk Burlesque - never before seen on THIS PLANET !! YOU could be the first to report the landing of this Unearthly Creature in Our Nation's Capitol! This Unidentified Foxy Object! This.... this ....This Sextraterrestrial!!!

OH! THE UNHUMANITY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FRIDAY JANUARY 9, 2009.

THE DUTCH OVEN 2009 SPACE ODYSSEY!
Palace of Wonders – 1210 H St., NE WDC
$10 / 10 p.m.
Out of this World Starrs bringing you Inter-Galactic Glamour and Spacey Strip Tease!!! From the galaxy of Charm City comes Maria Bella, Little Luna and Lily Stark White! And the Palace's own space cadets, Prissy Pistol and L'il Dutch! Join the rocket ride to an E.T. (Extra Terrific) time with the cosmic cutie Lauren Marleaux, the planetary perv Gary Gutter as your MC and lunar grooves by DJ P-VO!

Rockabilly Creature Feature

EVENT: Rockabilly Creature Feature
DATE & TIME:Saturday, December 27, 2008 10:00pm - 11:45pm
LOCATION:Palace of Wonders
1210 H St NE Washington, DC
COST: $10
DETAILS:
Burlesque + Rockabilly = Rockalesque? Burlabilly?

Come on out and see the Brokedown Playboys lay it out at the Palace again! These guys are a scream and blast to dance to. The place may be small but if Bambi and Lizzie Fur can shimmy there so can you! Doors at 8pm, Show at 10pm

Vixen Variety

EVENT: Vixen Variety
DATE & TIME: Thursday October 9, 2008
LOCATION: The Palace of Wonders
1210 H ST. NE Washington DC 20002
COST: $10
DETAILS:
Vixen Variety is an exciting new all female variety show!
More then just a feast for the eyes this show will knock your socks off!
These clever, sly and scandalous women will woo you with their willfulness and wiles!
You don't want to miss the fun as these foxy females flaunt their finesse and show off their skills in a hodgepodge of heroines!
A new medley of talent each month!
So come one, come all to the foxy & fabulous Vixen Variety Show!

THIS MONTH! Mab (me) will be bringing out her new comedy fire eating routine! All Funny! All the Time! Even while on FIRE!

Review of DR. SKETCHY'S

EVENT: Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School Show
DATE & TIME: Sunday, Aug. 17th
LOCATION: Palace of Wonders
COST: $5
DETAILS: Revival of the Dr. Sketchy's series

Last night Sugar Ann Spice and I performed in the revival of Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School Show ... and it was a revival in more than one sense. The new MC of the latest iteration of the DC franchise is the "Reverend Loveseat" - aka Jared Davis/Art by Jared/former Lobsterboy Revue scene & set master and artist of the Al portrait over the Palace stage. The Reverend is everything you'd imagine he'd be ... slimy, donning a bad suit, gray pompadour, too much flashy bling for a man of the cloth and loves to read horribly bad "groaner" jokes from back issues of Playboy to his congregation.

For those who have never attended or who are not familiar with this series of shows, it's a combination of a mini-burlesque show followed by timed poses by performers in costume for live model sketching to be done by artists in attendance as audience members. This series was started in NY (of course) by Molly Crabapple and has since had franchises pop up in major cities across the country always using performers as models. Here in DC we have had both burlesque and sideshow performers (namely, our own Mab) participate.

As a performer - and particularly burlesque, it was imperative for me to remind myself this was not a "typical" burlesque show nor audience in most cases, however genuinely appreciative. The performances were well-received and posing commenced quickly after their conclusions. I also found myself challenged for coming up with interesting poses for the artists - holding yourself in a contoured (i.e. sometimes contorted) pose for up to 12 minutes at a time. This experience made me think about body form, angles and stage position dramatically more than I ever have before. I believe this will come into play during my future acts.

The Reverend led a successful "sermon" overall and put much effort into a balanced line-up, provided interesting props for posing and engaged the artistic audience as best he could while they concentrated on their work. The show finale was a game of Twister between Sugar Ann Spice and me - each Twister pose was held for a brief amount of time to allow for quick sketches by the audience ... I lost, by the way - I sense a theme developing here, for those of you who have also seen our Lucha match. Tube socks and a plastic mat don't mix together as well as I'd hoped.

Let's hope the good Reverend decides to bring back his revival of this Sunday service to the Palace ... even if once in a blue moon. I for one know I'll be back next time, but as an artist ... er ... member of the congregation. Hallelujah Reverend and thanks for having us to your pulpit.

Amen!

Review of LIVE HUMANS

EVENT: Live Humans
DATE & TIME: 2nd & 3rd Tuesdays of the month, 7:30 - midnight
LOCATION: Palace of Wonders
COST: FREE
DETAILS: Open Mic Variety Night

I have only been performing and producing burlesque for about a year-and-a-half although I think in my mind I have been a performer all my life. By no means do I profess to be an expert or professional performer like so many wonderful artists I know - I just really happen to enjoy performing, seeing others have opportunities to have fun, work their craft & express themselves and mostly - entertain people and help us all forget the mundane even if momentarily! I will be the first to admit that I need all the practice in the world to refine my moves, stage presence, act development, confidence ... you name it. But one thing's for sure, I truly believe that practice does make perfect (at least for me, and as close to perfect as possible).

I was recently contacted by Andy Rothwell of LIVE HUMANS to perform -- as were many other area performers -- and I was excited to take advantange of this opportunity to test out a new act on stage and see what other hidden talent we have in our midst. Plus, it's free to everyone, no pressure and was really energizing to meet new people and discover a new night at the Palace.

This open-mic variety night is held the 2nd & 3rd Tuesdays of each month and no, you don't get paid, but I used the show as a chance to try out new work and even speak a little on stage . It was so incredibly useful, it even surprised me! (And my new act worked, by the way) The crowd was receptive, a great showcase of all sorts of talent and really appreciated what others had to do and say. Again, couldn't recommend it more if you're looking to try something new - even a totally different skill all together ... what's even better is that you can get there anytime - no pressure of a call if you're running late, etc. A very laid-back supportive atmosphere.

Thumbs up - thanks Andy!

Paolo & Mab-o Together Again! For the First Time!

EVENT: Paolo & Mab-o Together Again! For the First Time!
DATE & TIME: Friday, July 11, 2008 - 10 pm
LOCATION: The Palace of Wonders
COST: $10
DETAILS:

this is the big one folks! if you catch only one show this month, make it this one!

one of the advantages to being a variety performer is that I get to hear about other variety acts in the area before other folks do. but this isn't about them. this is about me. and the next big show coming to town.

Paolo Garbanzo, an old friend and an amazing performer, will be in town THIS FRIDAY! at the Palace of Wonders. As a fair warning, the Palace is not that big, I believe capacity is about 100, and we plan on selling out the house! Get there early!

Why should you go to this show? Well, besides the fact that you should trust me, I can think of a few other good reasons.

Paolo Garbanzo is the only American to ever win the international jester competition. That makes him an official jester, in england. Now, he's never performed for the Queen herself, but he has performed for dukes and lords, in castles and festivals all over Europe.

If you like juggling, you may know him as Misha Karamazov of the Flying Karamazov Brothers (arguably the most well known juggler group in the world)

Love him or hate him, I can't argue with all that he has accomplished in the years that I have known him. getting his start as a geeky juggler boy tossing clubs in the park at college, to playing at Pier 39 in San Francisco, to touring with the Karamazov's, than being crowned Official Jester, all leading him back here, to Washington DC. for one. night. only.

There is very little in the world that can trump that. so, I will be seeing you at the Palace!

Americana Burlesque Sideshow Festival

EVENT: Americana Burlesque Sideshow Festival
DATE & TIME: June 27 - 29 (see website for specific times)
LOCATION: Asheville, NC
COST: show is only $25!!!!
DETAILS:
ok, not really local. not unless you live in Asheville NC (or outlying areas). Still, might be worth a drive.....

This weekend I'm heading down to the great and wonderful Asheville NC, one of my favorite places in the country (that's not home)!

if you haven't heard, this weekend is the Americana Burlesque Sideshow Festival, MCed by yours truly, Mab, Just Mab

(http://www.barakamundi.com/absfest/)

On Friday night, they will be showing the East Coast debut of international film, 'Underbelly', which documents a year in the life of provacateuse, Princess Farhana of Hollywood. Footage includes interviews and performance from ABSfest 2007.

Saturday there will be workshops involving all things Burlesque, Sideshow and more!

Saturday night, the show! with my fav local burlesque super hero duo, Trixie Little and the Evil Hate Monkey! it will be a party all night long with an ~after party~ with live music from the Mezmer Society! I know as tired as I will be, I won't be able to stop dancing :-)

Sunday, wraps up with more workshops, including my "Showcraft" workshop for folks who want to build a show.

That's right kids. all this and more! only once a year. only this weekend! only in Asheville NC - at the ABSFest!

see you there!
mab
just
mab

Review: Evil Come, Evil Go-Go

Review of Evil Come Evil Go-Go
Staring L'il Dutch, Prissy Pistol and Little Darling
hosted by Mr. Deadguy
Clean-up/corpse removal by Gary Gutter

What a great show! I'm really glad I made time for this little gem.

To start off, as I approached the Palace, I saw skeleton cutouts dressed like Vegas showgirls at the door into the Palace. They were a great touch. The folks who decide such things offered discounted admission for anyone in costume - I saw some great outfits in the audience that night. That's a great idea to get the crowd involved and really helped create the right atmosphere for a successful evening.

The show started off with a group number. Anytime there is more than one performer in a piece, it stands out in my mind. The coordination involved in getting artists to work together garners much respect from me. This piece was no exception. I loved the choreographic tribute to thriller (a staple in any un-dead dance routine).

The show on the whole was well put together, each artist getting their moment to shine. there were some pieces that stood out for me:

L'il Dutch just commands the stage. every one of her pieces look like they are right out of time, From vintage 1950's to swinging retro 1960's, which speaks of her attention to detail. I think my favorite piece had to be the mourning widow, complete with the necro ending. I love L'il Dutch's box. And the goodies she pulls out of it.

Little Darling made my jaw drop. several times. I don't know if it's the fact that I was standing right up front, but every time she bent over...my eyes popped like a 3 week old cadaver's. merow. Great job working the crowd too!

Prissy Pistol's "Brain Picnic" really grabbed me. I felt that she had an amazing connection to the song. It was a familiar tune that I couldn't quite put my finger on, which added to the allure of the piece. I really enjoyed the combination of sensuality, savoring everything, juxtaposed with the horrifying brain goo. (mmmm, goo). this piece is a keeper!

Miss Joule joined the Evil girls, bringing a little fire to the show. I'm not sure if I have seen that particular fire finger piece before, but I really enjoyed. Only, and this comes as a bit of surprise to me, I can't specifically tell you why. You will just have to catch her next show and see for yourself why this girl is amazing.

Mr. Deadguy was wonderful. This was the first opportunity I had to see him perform, and I had heard great things about him. His costume was impeccable, right down to the spats! Anyone who wears spats is aces in my book.

He managed the MC position pretty well. MC is a challenging role. You have to keep the show rolling, but you can't just pop out and say "next up, la de da". You have keep the energy up with tiny mini bits. My favorite mini bit was his pulling a worm out of his skull. It was almost like a tease with how slowly he extracted it. Totally wonderful!

A little while later his buddy, Baby Cheezwits, joined him...wearing a cleaver in his head. Babies with cleavers in their head are funny in and of themselves. Still, what followed was some excellent comedic interaction. The timing was (to quote an audience member) "tight". I have found a new found love for ventriloquists. I want to see more bits from them!

As a performer myself, I love to eavesdrop on the audience to hear their completely candid opinions of a show. I am happy to share that every thing I heard was pegged in the positive.

Great job folks!
An excellent treat with delightful tricks!

Link-O-Rama
http://www.myspace.com/evilcomeevilgogoshow
http://www.myspace.com/lildutchburlesque
http://www.myspace.com/heartsandstarlets
http://www.myspace.com/lil_package_of_sexy
http://missjoule.com

Photos by Derik Moore (brutally lifted from their myspace pages)

Evil Come Evil Go-Go

EVENT: Evil Come Evil Go-Go
DATE & TIME: Friday, June 20 2 shows!! 8pm, 10 pm
LOCATION: The Palace of Wonders!
1210 H Street, NE
Washington DC 2008
COST: $10
DETAILS:
I have been looking forward to this show for a while! it features some of my favorite local burlesque artists, only, the undead versions. Zombies have never looked so good.

but wait! there's more! The whole show will be MCed by the elusive Mr. Deadguy. I have heard so many great things about this performer, and even though I have never seen him live, I feel confident in saying that he is brilliant!