Elsie Diamond-The Sensible Undresser: Diamonds are an Audience's Best Friend

Elsie Diamond: The Sensible Undresser @ CC Blooms (FREE FRINGE FESTIVAL)

Elsie Diamond presents her one woman show The Sensible Undresser about her journey into burlesque super-stardom and what happens once you start to age in a business where audiences judge your every move and aren’t afraid to tell you everything that’s wrong with your body. So, it’s hard to write this criticism as I feel as if I’m somehow part of the sounding board, but I must do my job as she does hers.

The show as a whole was rather enjoyable, learning about the wonders and pitfalls of Burlesque; Elsie is as quick witted as she is beautiful. The narrative structure that she set up kept me intrigued and on the edge of my seat. I loved the various ways she engaged with the audience; even having one audience member dress her for her next number while she finished a scene. At first, I was wondering how she would be able to do multiple burlesque numbers with no other acts in between, but she pulled it off with expert precision.

There were a couple of things that set this show back but were no fault of Elsie. First, the time slot’s tough. Burlesque in the middle of the day? That’s a thing? It’s like seeing drag queens perform in the daytime…it just feels out of its element. Also, the room was much too small, and I felt as if she did not have the full power to present her burlesque at full capacity. I was right. I checked out her website after the show, and man can she pull together some innovative and beautiful burlesque performances. The space she was in, although she made expert use of every inch of that room, did her a complete disservice. At least a couple of points were lost when she was low to or laying on the ground; she completely disappeared behind the rows of audience members. She was great, don’t get me wrong, but from what I saw online…she’s phenomenal. (https://www.elsiediamond.com/)

Her repertoire of songs were nicely curated, commenting on the moments and inner thoughts of her main character; although she is not the strongest singer, she sold the hell out of anything she presented. But the costumes…oh man…the costumes. Elsie Diamond should say it all. Most of the show she is dripping with Swarovski crystals and silhouettes that accentuated her voluptuous figure. My favorite was the red corset for the opera number, but the nude corset outfit came in a close second. I had major costume envy. Whoever creates her wardrobe, bravo. Elsie comments on her body quite a bit in her show, but I couldn’t disagree more with the negative reflections. Elsie Diamond is one of the most gorgeous burlesque performers I have seen live; she has that old Hollywood feel much like Dita Von Teese or Marilyn Monroe with curves made by the gods.

I love burlesque, and this show made me love it even more. As some of my closest friends do burlesque, I forget that there can be another darker side that comes from people who may not understand what burlesque is doing as an art form. So, if you’ve ever been curious about what’s behind the crystals, tassels, and head dresses, go spend an hour with Elsie IT’S FREE!!! I promise you won’t regret it.