Results tagged “burlesque”

ART: There's something truly compelling about art that successfully blends text with imagery. Words hold such powerful connotations for all of us and are capable of adding layers of narrative to a work with a mere jumble or string, a curiously chosen sentence or phrase. And words carry an aesthetic of their own—whether scrawled, typed, or doodled, and depending on their colour, size, or font face. In "Text-Based," ten artists share their unique perspectives on language in art, bringing text into the creative process and rendering it integral to the overall message of their pieces. Each artist featured in the exhibit (including those who comprise the ArtEXCHANGE project) reveals a different relationship with words and text—covering a vast spectrum: poetics, narrative, symbolism, revolution, spelling, grammar, and more. Brayham Contemporary Art (1318 Queen Street East), 7 p.m., FREE.

Taking to the stage on May 28, 1961, Cup Cake Cassidy punctuated the end of another of Toronto's notoriously prudish Sunday prohibitions with every shake of her hips. Under purple spotlights, the buxom burlesque star performed the bump-and-grind on the Lux Theatre's runway to the accompaniment of live musicians. In celebration of a new law, passed by council on May 23, that allowed theatrical performances on Sundays, the operator of the Lux, Elliott Abels (or Abells), flew Cassidy, one of the continent's most popular stripteasers and a regular performer in Toronto, in from the States for a special one-day, four-performance engagement. By her second show, a crowd of four hundred—including, the Globe reported, "a number of couples and more than a dozen women who entered individually and were well past 40." The whistling and stomping, the journalist added, reached "deafening proportions" as, bit by bit, the six-foot-tall brunette seductively shed her elaborate, jewelled gown.

Attention drivers intending to head out of the city for a relaxing weekend drive: if a bill before the Ontario legislature is passed, you may have to keep your brand new Model T off country roads on Saturdays and Sundays. According to The Star, "the two days selected were picked on as Saturday is market day, when the country roads are very busy with farmers' conveyances, and Sunday was chosen as the 'day of rest.'" Fear not drivers, as the proposed law does not apply to urban areas and "the bill is so drastic that it is hardly probable it will pass the House."

MUSIC: Toronto electro-punk-nintendo-beep-and-bloop duo Crystal Castles are sure to kick ass tonight at CiRCA (copyright infringement issues aside). These guys put on one hell of a show, and their hipness peak is probably approaching fast given that they've gone from performing in Parkdale to rocking the Harbourfront Centre and CiRCA in just eight months. So if you don't want to wait until next year to catch them opening for Kenny Rogers at Casino Niagara, you'd better head downtown this evening. CiRCA Nightclub (126 John Street), 10 p.m., $15.

BENEFIT: In support of international children's aid organization ONEXONE, Maple Leaf Gardens will be opening its doors to the public for the first time in eight years. The 2008 ONEXONE Benefit Concert will feature performances by Grammy Award–winner John Legend; the African Children's Choir; The Canadian Tenors; and the ultimate ambassador for children and strippers alike, Wyclef Jean. Maple Leaf Gardens (60 Carlton Street), 8:30 p.m., $150.

The Saucy Tarts starting off the night.

There used to be a sign above a video arcade that proclaimed "Yonge Street is Fun Street." Back in the 1960s and 1970s, much of that fun was to be had at the many bars and clubs that lined the street south of Gerrard––Le Coq D'Or, Steele's Tavern, Friar's Tavern, Zanzibar Tavern and so on. Depending on the venue, you could listen to music, dance the night away or catch a striptease. Today's advertiser...