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Tag Archives: Proud Cabaret

Lili Likes to Give…

07 Thursday Nov 2013

Posted by Lili La Scala in Cabaret, Passionate things

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applause, audience, burlesque, cabaret, London, Proud Cabaret

I’m back at Proud Cabaret this evening to take up a Thursday evening residency for November and I was thinking as I packed my show case this morning. I was thinking about the audience. Which is a huge change for someone whose main thought is generally herself. I was always taught as a child that it was better to give than to receive and with a few glaring inaccuracies (who doesn’t love to receive shoes, or pearl necklaces?) it is true. Never more so than in the world of cabaret.
Cabaret is all about the demolition of the fourth wall, it’s about getting up close and personal with an audience, allowing them to be engaged in a show in a way that is not possible with traditional theatre. However, this path comes at a risk to the performer. To lay your art at such close quarters to an unknown quantity requires trust on both sides. To step beyond that fourth wall of comfort into a world of strangers and to make friends and comrades of them and encourage them to put aside their doubts and worries and surrender themselves fully to Madame du Cabaret and allow her to have her wickedly sparkly way with them. It is, however, a two way street, where both parties need to give and take. As a performer, if an audience doesn’t come to you and you go to them constantly they will back ever further away. My first singing teacher said to me, if the audience aren’t coming to you,  lean back, sing quieter and they will come. I’m sure she was talking figuratively and not literally. Although, in cabaret, who knows?
So my message to audiences is that you receive the show that you deserve. If you open your heart and be generous of spirit you will receive it back tenfold. It is a simple transaction, you boost my self-esteem by stroking my fragile performer ego with your laughter and applause and I, in return, will crawl over broken glass to make sure I drag the best show possible from the depths of my soul. The power is yours, the audience, to make or break a show, the applause is like a drug on which we performing monkeys thrive. Imagine, if you will, a bait ball rolling in the cabaret depths. A little applause gathers, cabaret performers sense the frisson in the air, they perform and the applause grows, the air becomes static with anti…….cipation and desire. More performances, more laughter and applause and performers scent blood in the water and before you know it, a the tension grows to a screaming climax of whooping, hollering, stunts and cheering and then the show is over. The audience leaves, smiling and happy. The performers loiter, dazed and high as kites and they’ll be back tomorrow for more. Nothing can satisfy me more than an audience of people who are open, willing to laugh and are generous with their applause and laughter. Ideally, if I can leave the stage with the audience chanting my name, more the better! Truly, you get what you deserve and so my darlings, to quote the song, you’ve got to give a little. Scratch that, I want my audiences to give a lot, give it all up and surrender themselves, body and soul to me and I wager they’ll get it back. With interest.

Until next time.

Love Lili

x

Lili la Workaholic

16 Wednesday Oct 2013

Posted by Lili La Scala in Cabaret, General Musings

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cabaret, Danny Elfman, Joe Black, London Cabaret Festival month, Proud Cabaret, Tim Burton, variety

I think these past few months I have managed to become busier than ever before. My husband and I had agreed to try to become less ‘busy’ as we felt that the ongoing conversations of ” How are you?” “Oh, I’m sooooo busy, literally run off my feet” “Well, good problem to have!” had become annoying and actually quite damaging. It is not a virtue to be the busiest person in the world. Having said that, life takes off at breakneck speed sometimes and you just have to cling on for dear life and hope that you are still in one piece when it slows down. Hence, amid the new London Cabaret Festival, hosting shows, touring solo shows, helping Tape Face write his new show and my own performing and creating as well as wrangling a nine-month old who is actually in to everything, life is at its busiest and so blogging has rather slipped by the by. So I apologise to those of you who read this, I’m sure you were desperate for more Lili words!!

I’ll get you up to speed on my world and then we’ll start over. Deal?

London Cabaret Festival month is in full swing and the plans are afoot for the Festival next May too. I can’t say too much at the moment, but soon I shall reveal all, including the fabulous new Cabariot video which is going to be launched next Monday. In the meantime, here’s the old one...

I’ve been hosting a lot at Proud Cabaret in the City of London. The venue is so perfect for me and the wonderful people who work there always make me feel so welcome and at home and the line ups are always stellar. Here’s a quick selfie (don’t you hate them? Needs must.) of one of my hosting outfits for last week. I went for an 80’s meets Highwaywoman meets Vivienne Westwood does 20’s look. The gold dress is one that I have had forever and I contemplated selling it last year but I’m glad I didn’t as I liked the effect.

Lili at Proud

Lili at Proud

IMG_3890

Last Monday, I took my husband for his birthday surprise (which had been ruined by Joe Black – devil) to see Danny Elfman’s music performed at the Royal Albert Hall. It was the most fabulous evening. Not only were goth royalty, Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton in attendance but the music was simply sublime and hearing Danny Elfman sing the music from Nightmare Before Christmas was utterly awesome. We laughed, we cried, we took dodgy shots of Tim Burton.

Tim Burton!

Last night, I went with my mother and sister to see The Birmingham Royal Ballet at Sadler’s Wells. They were performing three ballets, the final one being ‘Still Life at the Penguin Cafe’ which is one of my all time, absolute favourite ballet, (here’s my favourite part, The Zebra), in fact, I’m going to write a whole blog on it in a minute, so come back soon.

Until next time…

Love Lili
x

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