DIRECTORY

                                                          AN EVENING OF BURLESQUE

                                                                   Bettsie Bonbon

An Evening of Burlesque is all about the
glamour, glitter and outrageous costumes, but star of the hit touring stage
show, Bettsie Bonbon, has revealed that there is more to her than meets the
eye. We caught up with Bettsie ahead of her performance at Norwich Theatre
Royal on Saturday 29 June at 7.30pm.

A few years ago, Bettsie Bonbon (not her
real name) was a high-flying law graduate and former underwriter at the global
insurance giant Lloyds. But, within months, the lure of the sparkles and
stockings saw her trade figures for figure revealing outfits, as she took up a full-time position as a burlesque performer.

And since taking up her new profession, she now
teaches at The London Academy of Burlesque and believes there are many
misconceptions about what the show is all about.  She says: “It is very tongue in cheek and I
think more people are realising that now. Burlesque is the Italian word for
parody, and that is what it’s all about.”

But she is quick to explain that the
production is committed to bringing every aspect of the traditional art of
burlesque to the stage. “Burlesque and variety, the two go hand in hand, so
expect the glamour and the girls in the show to be interspersed by equally
outrageous speciality acts,” she says.

The show also keeps another surprise up its
couture-crafted sleeve. Interestingly, women regularly outnumber men in
auditoriums on its sell-out tour.

“When you look a little closer at its
content, it’s actually no surprise An Evening of Burlesque is such a hit with
the ladies. It’s a riot of feather boas, sparkly rhinestones, lace, organza,
corsets, heels, capes and tassels,” she says.

Her lavish contribution includes scenes
entitled 50 Shades of Gold, Isis Queen, Baseball Pin-ups and Moulin Rouge. For
the latter routine, the girls’ specially-commissioned outfits are identical, except
for the colour.

Bettsie giggles: “We’re the JLS of
burlesque. Throughout the show, costumes are spectacularly, outrageously
glamorous. But it’s all done with a nod and a wink.”

She explains that audiences buy into the
fantasy. She says: “We ensure that no one loses sight that underneath it all
we’re just normal girls playing a part.”

And if you’re up for watching a show that
celebrates girl power, then this is the show for you. It might be a claim that
sounds very right on, however Bettsie suggests that a quick scan of the
auditorium on any performance reveals the truth. “It’s not only the cast that
get glammed up for the night, audience members regularly dress for the
occasion,” she said. So much so, the producers – impressed by its audience’s efforts
– have introduced a prize for the most glamorous member of the audience. “It’s
all very liberating,” she concludes. “Looking and feeling glamorous, there’s no
law against it,” she said. Besides, with her academic background, she should
know.

And as the glamorous cast get ready to dominate
the stage at Norwich Theatre Royal, Bettsie is hoping to share her relative’s
love for the region on her very first visit. She said: “Unfortunately I’ve
never been to Norwich, but I do have great memories of my grandparents
talking about boating on the Norfolk Broads, so I am very excited to be performing
in the city.”   

Information For Editors

An Evening of Burlesque, Saturday 29 June at 7.30pm. Tickets
£5.50-£23.00 Discounts for Friends. 18

BOX OFFICE 01603 630000.  For more
info or to BOOK ONLINE www.theatreroyalnorwich.co.uk

It is stylish, sexy, sultry and sassy. That classic tale of loneliness and obsession The Great Gatsby is coming to Norwich Theatre Royal.

 F Scott Fitzgerald%u2019s classic book is being transformed into a stunning dance production by Northern Ballet and will take to the stage on April 30-May 4.

Artistic director David Nixon told John Bultitude why he was so keen to bring his classroom literary passion to the stage.

The Great Gatsby is memorable to David Nixon for many reasons. It was a favourite book in his youth, a piece that he studied in great depth, and now he is getting the chance to bring his own twist to the classic tale of hedonism and obsession.

Set on New York%u2019s Long Island in the heady 1920s, it follows the friendship between Nick Caraway and his mysterious neighbour Jay Gatsby, who is renowned for having the best parties.

As the two men get to know each other, Nick realises Gatsby%u2019s image is more style than substance unlocking a tale of loneliness, obsession and tragedy.

This mix of style and emotion is something that has really inspired David Nixon and, as he sits chatting about the project, he admits the story is something he has been passionate about since his teens. He recalled: %u201CIt was probably one of my favourite novels when I was at school and I was about 17 when the movie with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow came out. I remember going on a class trip to see it because we were studying the book that year and I can remember being absolutely blown away by it. In fact, it was one of my only English essays I got a perfect score on, because I was so into it.%u201D

When it comes to choosing the elements he enjoyed, the music and style are definitely top of the list. %u201CThere was a lot of dancing going on because of the nature of the period with the jazz and the Charleston. Of course, it was also very glamorous with a lot of good characters in it. The more characters, the better for me,%u201D he said.

But it is not just down to personal taste. David also thinks the title really appeals to audiences. He said: %u201CThe problem we are faced with is that people won%u2019t venture out to a title they don%u2019t know. They are attracted often by that rather than the dance or the production quality, and those popular titles aren%u2019t plentiful. You start to find yourself a bit limited but still want to create new work which, in turn, is important to the company. It made me think %u2018what are we going to do?%u2019

%u201CThere were two that came to mind and the Great Gatsby was the one I chose. It was a good piece to write a scenario for and it was dance-able. It was also selected at a time that it was proving popular again although, when I chose it, I didn%u2019t know about the new movie.%u201D

So once the choice has been made, what happens next? Well David starts working closely with the theatre director and actress Patricia Doyle who he describes as %u201Cmy living research person%u201D and they split up the all-important preparation. He said: %u201CWe will both read the book once or twice and I will probably look at the easier forms of research because of time so I will watch movies and read some of the shorter articles about it. Patricia, meanwhile, will just do everything. She will find out everything she can so she is bringing all the perspectives to the table.%u201D

Then it is time to sit down and start the hard work of writing and preparing the piece. %u201CGatsby was particularly hard because when we started to sit down and write, we would end up just sitting and talking. With Gatsby, the language is just so wonderful in the book and you have to think about translating that into another genre,%u201D he said.

%u201CI also use the film for some visual inspiration but I don%u2019t translate movies. It is definitely the book and the essence of the book. It is also important to say we are not doing the novel on point. We are doing the adaptation in dance of that story. We have to think very carefully about how we create different scenes. Something may make sense in print or on film but you have to think, can we dance that?%u201D

David may look after choreography but he needs to keep a handle on all the other aspects of the piece with costume design a particularly important part of the creative process. He said: %u201CWhat they are wearing in dance is very important on several levels. It obviously tells you what they look like, it tells you their character and it tells you how they move. Someone in a stiffer costume isn%u2019t going to move in a fluid way. I learned this very early on because I was creating a role in a ballet and the way I moved was very fluid. It was described as elastic.

%u201CI went for a fitting and the guy put me into a costume where you couldn%u2019t see any of my body and I was very stiff. I said to him %u2018have you even seen the choreography for this because this costume isn%u2019t going to work?%u2019 It told me there and then that this is something that I need to think very carefully when I work.%u201D

David also collaborates very closely with the creative team on the music for the piece %u2013 with the Great Gatsby featuring a score by the noted British composer Richard Rodney Bennett, who has worked on everything from Murder On The Orient Express to Four Weddings And A Funeral.

As we talk several months before the first rehearsals of The Great Gatsby, David says it is a great chance to highlight the work of people like Richard Rodney Bennett and his contemporaries. He explained: %u201CWe have some brilliant composers in this country and I don%u2019t understand why they aren%u2019t seen or heard enough. The great thing when I get to do a ballet in that you are showing a vast variety of their music. Yes, you use some of their film music, but there will also be songs in it, jazz and symphonic pieces. Normally I struggle to find the stuff I like but there is just so much I could use.%u201D

Once this is all arranged, then it is time to cast the right dancers in the right parts and David believes the Northern Ballet company are perfect for a production like this. %u201CIt%u2019s a youthful story. It features lots of young people for the most part especially when you have the party scenes and that is good. It is also a piece that will appeal to people of all ages. It really resonates across the board,%u201D he said.

It is a definite labour of love for David and he says audiences in Norwich are in for a real treat. He explained: %u201CThe Great Gatsby is probably F Scott Fitzgerald%u2019s best novel and it is wonderful that they express themselves so poetically. You listen to music like Richard%u2019s compositions and that excites you too but it frightens you at the same time. I suppose working with such quality pushes you to do a better job. I am scared to death of the project but I am excited too.%u201D

Watch the trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Izlpce4Fkaw