Jo Weldon's New York School of Burlesque

New York has an amazing pool of burlesque MCs, all with unique personalities and their own cults. Today we'll have a quickie with everyone's showbiz heartthrob, Mr. Murray Hill. The first time I saw you at a burlesque show was a Pontani Sisters show at the Slipper Room in either 2002 or 2003. What was your first burlesque MC gig? Did you expect to be MCing so many burlesque shows? Ahh, the old days...and who can remember all the details! I don't remember my first burlesque hosting gig per se, but I was doing The Murray Hill Show in the late 90's and Dirty Martini was my first showgirl guest. How could I forget her. She is the first burlesque performer I saw in NYC uptown at the supperclub, I suppose it was true love right from the beginning. Hosting burlesque shows seems like a natural fit (no pun intended) for me...I'm an old-school kinda guy, and burlesque is from the old vaudeville days. Back then, comics and burlesque girls were always on the same bi...

"The Hysterical Festival is a celebration of fearless female humor launching in New York City in Fall 2008. Showcasing the wide range of ways in which women are hilarious, we aim to both entertain and break new ground for women in the comedic arts." http://blog.hystericalfestival.com/ Based on the origin of the word "hysterical," I really love the title of this festival. "hysterical 1615, from L. hystericus "of the womb," from Gk. hysterikos "of the womb, suffering in the womb," from hystera "womb" (see uterus). Originally defined as a neurotic condition peculiar to women and thought to be caused by a dysfunction of the uterus. Hysterics is 1727; hysteria, abstract noun, formed 1801." from http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=hysterical I have wondered if many burlesque shows which are all striptease might still be considered comedy and variety shows--the performances ARE comedy and variety, only now the strippers ...