On the coldest night of last week three women of varying ages went on an adventure to the deepest wilds of...Manhattan.
Alita fell ill in late October, missing both her class Halloween party and city-wide trick or treating. Her mother, in her infinite wisdom, decided that we should do something special to make up for that loss. So we headed to Jekyll & Hyde Club.
The girl wore her awesome Fay Wray costume and charmed all the weirdos in the joint. The employees thought she was cool, too.
Though nothing can make up for missing Halloween I think it's just possible that she had a good time. What do you think?
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I loved that Fay Wray costume.
ReplyDeleteas did I. I think she should wear it again next year...for that matter, do they make big girl sizes?
ReplyDeleteJ&H is my back-up plan for this winter...second job. I don't like it, but I'll do it.
ReplyDeleteThe costume was an E-bay find by her dad. I think it was originally an adult costume as it came with an unsuitable for elementary school dress. This dress was bought at the Salvation Army and frayed by her mom. The Hannah Montana boots and 2 pairs of tights are included from necessity. It was fucking COLD. The top hat and cane from the creepy character dude.
ReplyDeleteHere's the thing, Chrome. You'd be good at it. It's stupid and probably mind numbing but you'd be great at it. I'd be good at it and I hate improving and cosying up to the audience. You love that stuff, you thrive on it, you'd be the best thing they ever saw. The dude in the goggles in the second pic was my favorite. I creepily want to date him even though I suspect he's an ass.
I did do it for about 4 months, I think. And I was awesome at it. (I made tips that none of the other "entertainers" made.) And I hated almost every moment of it. It is hard to be "on" and "in character" for 6 hours. And I do not play well with others. I mostly wanted to punch the other actors because I thought their "bits" were unfunny. So, I created a character that lived in her own world and who also happened to be blind as a bat, so I could just ignore everyone and do my own thing. You know that spiral staircase from the 2FL to the 1FL? It took me 10 minutes to get down that thing...blind as a bat and in my own world...twisting around the railing, feet missing steps...10 minutes of not having to deal with anyone, but every eye in the 1FL restaurant on me. That's the kind of stuff I liked.
ReplyDeleteWow...did you really want to know all that? I'm a chatty kathy today.
Anyway...thinking of maybe getting back in for 2 shifts a week. I hate it, but $400 a month would really get me out of trouble.
Chat away, my friend. I'm interested. How does the whole tipping deal work with entertainers?
ReplyDeleteWe weren't really supposed to accept them, but if someone is handing me a $20 because I made their kid laugh while simultaneously busting Uncle Ray's chops, I'm going to slip it into my pocket. Sometimes I wouldn't make anything, but usually at the pub in the village, where I worked by myself most shifts, I'd make at least $20 a day. The uptown restaurant not as much, because there were so many other people there, but occasionally.
ReplyDeleteI feel like I was perhaps not entirely wrong when I sat in my seat (having a perfectly lovely time it should be said) and thought, "I could totally do this." I don't think I could do it $20 tip well but I could manage it I think. The blind thing is kind of brilliant because it brings you up close to the clientele, too.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you could do it.
ReplyDeleteI will tell you the audition was challenging. Lots of improv and voice mimicry work.
One of the audition improv segments was...ah, I can't remember what he called it....but you had to do as many characters as possible in 60 seconds. He said, "Go" and you went, and when he felt you had established a complete character different from anything else you'd already done, he said, "Next." I think I got 6 or 7...one guy got 8 (wow), most people got 3 to 5. It was hard.
The mimicry stuff is for the puppets. Because you also have to go up into the booth and run the puppets a few times. Animatronics and voices.
ReplyDeleteWe all agreed that the animatronic gargoyle was the best thing all night. The jokes might have been scripted but they were good and they were delivered impeccably. Plus we all have a soft spot for snark.
ReplyDeleteThat audition sounds nightmarishly hard. Wow.