l'Edition Francaise Smolders at The Triple Door
Lily Verlaine's "Histoire de Melody Nelson". Photo Credit MvB "The Grand Poobah"
The assignment: a “l’edition francaise” burlesque show, with three choreographers combining to present their take on sexuality, with a french twist. Presented by burlesque madame Lily Verlaine, herself one of the choreographers, l’Edition Francaise ran for two shows last Wednesday (Bastille Day) on the Triple Door’s main stage.
Kitten LaRue’s (The Atomic Bombshells) chapitre ran a bit like a burlesque “recital”, with a series of short vignettes built from French music. Whether the act was on le soleil, bubbles, or un requin (a shark), LaRue’s choreography and concept was fun and frank, with a wild child, free-spirit feel. We loved the petite bicyclette running the title cards in between.
Inspired by the Serge Gainsbourg concept album Histoire de Melody Nelson, Verlaine’s chapitre had a darker, more sophisticated bent. Quite a bit of ballet found its way into this sultry, moody story about the sexualization of a young girl. Arealists dangled from the ceiling. A corps of statuesque dancers piled into an orgy. Someone in the audience was smoking pot.
But the knockout performance of the night was Kylie Shea and Paris Original dancing to choreography set by Olivier Wevers (PNB principle, Whim W'Him). Where the rest of the show was burlesque, this was dance, although the bit Wevers put together is so raunchy, it might only belong in a burlesque show. In a phrase, “Coquette” is stylized sex, and Shea was utterly jaw-dropping in the role. This piece was spectacular. Bravo!
Overall, the choreographers’ individual takes on the topic helped freshen up that same-old, same-old burlesque act. The costumes in the show were amazing; kudos to costumers Danial Hellman and J. Von Stratton. With all the excellence invested into this show, we’d hate to see it disappear. Bring it back for a longer run!
