BALLAD OF PERILOUS GRAVES REVUE REVIEW

I’ve posted about it before, but not with the attention it deserves. In February, Cece Dynamite and Bodice Rippers Burlesque put on a burlesque review based on my debut novel, The Ballad of Perilous Graves. I’ve never had work adapted before, and certainly not as a live stage production, let alone a burlesque show. I was ecstatic when Cece asked permission to create it, so much so that Kechi and I planned to drive down to New Orleans and be there when it opened at the AllWays Lounge.

A couple things dashed our plans. For one thing, I had sustained the injury of my life during the first week of classes at Northwestern where I’m attending an MA/MFA program. I popped my quadriceps tendon right off my kneecap falling down some stairs. Repairing the injury required major surgery, months and months of physical therapy, and just time to heal. I went on medical leave from the program retroactive to the very beginning, and by the end of February, my mobility had improved, and my pain was drastically reduced, but a long car trip was still a bit too much. Of course, flying was out of the question for a number of reasons—one of them being the nature of my energy and the need to keep my leg straight.

I'm not gone lie: being unable to see the show in person HURT. Yes, we traveled to New Orleans in March for the Toledo Street Comedy Festival and had a blast, but this opportunity was truly special. I talked to friends who attended, and they were enraptured. Our good friend Jon Reynolds, a local comedian/sound man/videographer, etc, agreed to film it and send us the files. There were two angles, and while Jon didn’t have the time to cut them into a show-length video, it was no problem to watch them one by one. First of all, I’ve known Cece, her husband, her collaborators, and her friend group for years. In fact, it was her best friend, Picolla Tushy, who married Kechi and me on the stage out back of Bar Redux last September. Seeing Cece hosting the show dressed as Fonzy, Peaches’ horse, honestly brought me to tears.

Some of the performers dressed as characters from the novel, while others dressed as concepts or circumstances that infused it. Stagger Lee, Casey, First Chief—! And the whole thing ended with drumming and dancing, and I thought my heart would levitate straight out of my chest. The basic concept of a book club burlesque show is beautiful. Ce Ce Dynamite and her crew are burlesque veterans, and they know how to put on a show, baby. Even though Kechi and I couldn’t be present, this is something I’ll never forget, and it’s never far from my mind as I work on my follow up to Ballad, Dead End Boys. Go to a Bodice Rippers show the first chance you get!