If you’ve been longing to bring the bustier and stilettos in the
back of your closet out of retirement, the time is now.
If you’ve been longing to bring the bustier and stilettos in the back of your closet out of retirement, the time is now.
A cadre of talented ladies from around the South Valley are giving Hollister’s night-life a lift with “How to Handle a Woman,” a sexy spin on the cabaret tradition. The show will premier at 8pm Friday at the Vault Restaurant downtown.
“I’ve always loved the idea of an artists’ collective, coming together and sharing their work with the community,” said Julianne Palma, who performs in, directs and produces the show. “It was just a kernel of an idea I had while I was driving down Hwy. 25, and everything just kind of gelled.”
Cabarets began appearing in Paris at the turn of the 20th century in bars and restaurants, as informal gatherings where artists, musicians, playwrights and poets could share ideas and show off among like-minded folk. As the performances became more popular, they in turn became more structured, and the cabaret reached a pinnacle of popularity between the first and second World Wars in Europe and New York City. The performances offered political satire, bawdy humor and top-grade talent for patrons looking to escape their worries for a few hours. The unique subculture surrounding European cabarets was famously portrayed in Bob Fosse’s Broadway musical, and later film, “Cabaret.”
“Hollister is ripe for this kind of entertainment,” said Palma, who has been involved in the theater since she was a child. She also taught theater arts at Gavilan College for 11 years.
“It gives the town a little nightlife that just isn’t there, unless you’re going down to the bar and listening to the jukebox,” she said. “How to Handle a Woman” is a collection of song, dance, drama and poetry centered around a single theme, Palma said.
“Women – and how to handle them,” she said. “As if there were a way.”
The production’s all-female cast has only been working together since the end of May, but are pleased at how quickly the show has come together.
“There’s kind of that connotation that whenever a bunch of women get together they’re just catty and scrappy to each other,” said cast member Sandra Marlowe, stage name Daisy Starling. “But there’s such a sense of camaraderie with the cast. It’s like a circle of powerful women coming together, sharing what they do and encouraging each other.”
Though the show has yet to premier, Palma says the production is already receiving an enthusiastic welcome.
“I get calls from women saying ‘I’ve been looking for something like this; I need eight tickets for me and my girlfriends,'” she said.
Already Palma has received queries about bringing the show to different venues – some as far off as Fresno – once it’s finished locally, or extending its run in Hollister.
“I think a lot of people feel there isn’t anything to do in Hollister, for adults or for young people,” said Ignacio Velazquez, who owns the Vault and invited the cast to perform there. “It allows people the chance to dress up and have a good time as adults – go out to dinner, take in a show and spend some time together. That’s what life’s all about, really.”
The show is for adults only – 21 and older – but that doesn’t mean it will be a stodgy affair. The cast members are fond of intimating that “no one is safe” from the cabaret’s vampy charms, even audience members.
“It’s going to be fun. We’re having all of our guests sign in with ‘cabaret names’ so they can make a quick getaway, just in case the cops show up,” Palma said. “This show is going to blow everyone in Hollister away. I don’t think anyone is prepared for how fantastic this is going to be.”
Danielle Smith covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or
ds****@fr***********.com
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