SubVerse Aphrodesia

I'm not here to argue that "vaudeville is back" or whether it even died to begin with. What we've seen emerge in this first decade of the 21st century is not a recreation of vaudeville but rather a shared aesthetic most effectively defined by term "NeoVaudeville," despite the oppostion of many.

This aesthetic seeks its edge in a dusting off of a pre-electronic culture before mass market media. It is DIY, highly-theatrical, romantic and darkly sexy, and often comic while confrontational, questioning the superficiality of packaged pop and our materialistic excesses. It is LIVE but also uses modern technological advances to its utmost populist potential. It is hobo chic.

It is for everyone but does not patronize or sink to the lowest common denominator.

In addition to alternative circuses like Bindlestiff and variety troupes like Yard Dogs Road Show and the retro New Burlesque movement, I've been following punk cabaret artists like Amanda Palmer and Dresden Dolls and gypsy-influenced bands like Luminescent Orchestrii and Fishtank Ensemble. Here in Northeastern Pennsylvania, I've found artists like And the Moneynotes and the Lotus Fire Belly Dancers surfing the zeitgeist. Electric Theatre Company's modern commedia troupe Zuppa del Giorno should be celebrated as well as ensemble member Conor McGuigan’s variety puppet shows and Richard Grunn's Il Circo di Urbano.

Other points of interest include the rapidly exploding Steampunk movement and venues of choice such as the Spiegeltents. Absinthe and old-fashioned cocktails have enjoyed a revival. And it was the sponsorship of Magic Hat brewing company that brought Bindlestiff Family Cirkus to Scranton, Pa. in 2007. Neither is it a coincidence that a stage musical adaptation of thee 1986 movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang has been running in various incarnations since opening in London in 2002. Or that Minsky’s “the new, old-fashioned musical about a Depression-era burlesque house” enjoyed considerable success at the Ahmanson in L.A. in early 2009 (there’s been buzz about a Broadway and/or West End transfer?)

Thursday, Nov. 19, 2009 7 p.m. The Vintage Theater, Penn Avenue in Scranton. www.scrantonsvintagetheater.com. FREE; donations to the venue suggested. 

   

"In this post-MTV, post-postmodern, attention deficit-ridden age of electronics-induced schizophrenia, I make bold to suggest that few of us will have a problem with this "fractured" aesthetic."

- Trav S.D., founder of the American Vaudeville Theatre

No Applause - Just Throw Money: The Book That Made Vaudeville Famous

The Aesthetic

I've identified the unifying characteristics across the NeoVaudeville spectrum as:

Celebration of the pre-electronic era (yet computer literate & tech savvy). Pre-'50s retro. Victoian, steampunk, Depression-era. Vintage is prized byt replicas are preferred to ugly modern mass production. ACOUSTIC.

High-theatricality. Costume: feathers, lingerie, corsets, garters, silks/slios, natural fabrics, petticoats & bloomers, top hats and tails, formal suits and hats, pocketwatch. Anachronisms: compass, monacle, etc. Gender bending. MAKEUP. Stripes. SEXY.

Authenticity at all costs. (Yet, not above a little ballyhoo to get your attention and good showmanship to keep it.)

Smart is good. Learning is exciting. Lazy is boring

Freaks are welcome. Unique is key.

Hobo-chic: We're not owned by anything because we don't own anything. Cheap Art Manifesto.

Independent mangement / DIY: distrust of the mainstream / mass market. Self-branding. Merchandising is sharing (and survival).

Playfulness/ Clowning: Serious about maintaining the appearance that it does not take itself too seriously. Extends to creative instrumentation (e.g. toy pianos, ukuleles, melodica, saw, washboard & spoons, etc.

Challenging edge. Push the envelope. Sexually stimulating and/or verbally risque. Want the audience to experience some discomfort: a manifestation of growth? Vague political questioning?)

Conviction in the magic of live experience: You will not see this on TV.

The Party: Absinthe, Moonshine, Magic Hat, Hendrick’s Gin, The Cocktail: Cointreau.

*The characteristics of traditional burlesque have been cited by Cecile Camart as: exaggeration, parody, outrage, caricature, extravagance, comedy, bullfoonery, grotesque, and satire.

It's almost daily that I stumple upon another new lead in to the increasing influence of NeoVaudeville.

I established this blog to track the latest news as it meets my radar now that the initial project has been drafted.

This blog was recently relocated to WordPress by Windows Live.

It can now be viewed at: http://svaphro.wordpress.com

-ag