“Totally Hilarious”
Ben Elton
International invitation and standing ovation - Kittie is a burlesque queen with an Empire…
Hailed as “the doyenne of feline femininity” (The List) and celebrated for her vitality, wit and physicality Kittie is a captivating performer with commanding presence and endearing fascination.
As a ‘traditional British burlesque’* performer, she is a unique and specialised comedienne - a satirical danseuse-come-character actress with prowess. Kittie burlesques her subjects with a sense of astute absurdity performing with dramatic flair and poignant ‘visual puns’. Her acts and shows are truly provocative; they are both thoughtful and aesthetically alluring, capturing the nostalgia of past theatrical beauty whilst sending up the present.
Captain of the British burlesque revival itself and a thorough protagonist of 19th century showbiz spectacle, she has a number of campaigns, esteemed clientele and original productions to her name. Her international reputation and role in the emergence of the British burlesque industry has set the trends and notably raised the ‘barre’ for wider burlesque genre.
REPERTOIRE
Britannia! Red, White and Thoroughly Blue. What is Britain’s proud image worth today? Has our Britannia been reduced to the fodder of Tabloid titillation - or is she still an Imperialist fantasy? See the once proud, Commander of the Seas and Conqueror of Nations stripped down to the attire of a Vegas showgirl in this ‘infamous’ act. (featured in Victorian Values)
The Solitary Vice. In this burlesque of Victorian sexual morals Kitty De Winter-Fairbotham, an unmarried young lady engages in the perilous activity of reading - alone. This is a dangerous liaison between one woman and a book. After succumbing to its most titillating diversions, she succumbs to the passions of Mr Burton’s most brazen exotic tome. (featured in Victorian Values)
Pain is Beauty - Ancient Egyptian Beauty Ritual. This burlesque questions that old adage ‘pain is beauty’! This is a send up of a well known beauty ritual which challenges the notions that Tv would have us believe - that hair removal is the elegant practice of the ‘goddess’ - ancient or modern!
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(featured in High Tease)
The Dream Dance. Not a burlesque. Instead, this is a delicate dance sequence which combines the softness of showgirl ostrich feather fans and the hypnotic movement of oriental isis wings. This sequence is dreamy offering a ‘visual lullaby’ drawing influence from the Victorian ’serpentine’ dance and Parisian style ‘follies’. The Dream Dance was devised for High Tease and is available in various colour pairings. (featured in High Tease)
Agent Klaw in - “Eye Spy”. A burlesque of Film Noir espionage flicks where a seductive and mysterious Spy is double crossed in a tale of Secrets and Suspenders. Agent Klaw must think quickly when her cover is blown and she needs all her wit to ‘inconspicuously’ get out of her disguise. A burlesque-striptease in the comedic style of ‘golden era’ American burlesque.
Toff & Tales in “The Piccadilly Prowler”. Think 19th Century Music Hall with 21st Century attitude! This is a splendidly audacious burlesque double-act with the fabulously talented Jim Devereaux. As a song and dance, character-comedy duo, they are an uproarious medley of variety and Brit Wit. See the pippin pair in their most famous sketch where uranian (that’s ‘homosexual’) intrigue, intrigues a young woman… (featured in Victorian Values)
Toff & Tales in “Minnie The Moocher”. Here, in their double act, Kittie and Jim Devereaux perform a tribute to our cousins across the Pond. A very entertaining take on Cab Calloway’s classic sing-along anthem, this routine includes an invigorating dose of vintage American striptease - just to illustrate the point, of course, that ’she’ was indeed a ‘low-down hootchy kootcher ‘. Can you guess which one strips off? Hi-de-hi-de-hi…ho-de-ho-de-ho…. (featured in High Tease)
note * What is British Burlesque? In its classical theatre form, ‘Burlesque’ is a kind of “Spectacular Satire”. Both splendid and thought provoking, classical burlesque is high-brow musical comedy typically comprising of ironic iconography, playful punning and bawdy Brit-wit - all put to music. In Britain, its history is steeped in potent social change and female empowerment. Arguably, as a theatrical genre, classical burlesque saw it’s apogee in the 19th century where the players would send up known literary, historical and artistic works while making ribald social comment for the enjoyment of the middle classes and later, the working classes too. The form is still alive today (just) but it is not to be confused with the modern American burlesque-striptease - which is also fabulous, but a different thing.
Among the famous burlesquers of the classical tradition, we can count Geoffrey Chaucer, William Makepeace Thackeray Eliza Vestris, J. R. Planché, Nellie Farren, Gilbert & Sullivan, Lydia Thompson, Vesta Tilley, The Western Brothers and also Monty Python. This genre is now specifically known today as “classical burlesque” or “traditional British burlesque”. Click here for more info.
ACTION SHOTS - In Flagrante Delicto (40 images)
PERFORMANCE VIDEOS
Toff & Tales in ‘The Piccadilly Prowler’:
The Dream Dance:
Silent Movie: