Generally speaking, I’m not much of a fancy dress fan. But then, every now and again a fancy dress party comes along that compensates for the effort and unbearable coarse lining. And so it was last weekend when I attended one such soiree. The theme – Vaudeville. For those who are unaware, Vaudeville was the turn of the century (that’s LAST century) poor man’s music hall. Audience members would either simply spectate or climb up on stage to give a show or perform their party trick, whatever it may be. Talent was, for the most part an added bonus. What really mattered in Vaudeville was to “keep ‘em entertained”. It’s hard to think of a modern day equivalent. Reality TV, perhaps?

Anyway, enough of the history lesson, let’s get back to the party. I had graciously accepted the offer of an old friend of mine, August Wittgenstein, weeks before and subsequently forgotten all about it until the afternoon of the party.  This resulted in a last minute rush as I headed to a costumiers on Hollywood Boulevard and with the help of a few simple accessories costing a grand total of $25, I put together a rather snazzy costume and went as Dr Jeckyll. Or was I a Snake Oil Salesman? I might have even been Charlie Chaplin. Either way the final outfit involved a top hat, dark glasses and black cane along with a black suit and coat (both of which were my own and both of which possessed silky soft linings!).

Other than my two companions I knew nobody else that was attending and therefore did not bargain for the effort that our hosts, Steve Pearce and Alice Batliner had gone to in order to ensure a highly entertaining evening for their guests.

I learned that Alice had spent weeks before in preparation, building a makeshift stage in their back garden. A number of guests had prepared their acts in advance, which were written in order on a blackboard to the side of the stage. Prior to the main event (or events), the guests were entertained by the jazz and blues sounds of Dapper Dan & The Garage Menage, who were, rather appropriately set up in the garage! When the time came the Chief Barker for the evening climbed up on stage and welcomed the guests to this Vaudevillian affair.

There followed a succession of events, each one a total surprise and each one hilarious in its own right. We had the Carmen & Coby Show, a duo of dancing harmonicas. There was the brilliant Ken Do and his Non Stop Nunchakus. And who could forget Mr. & Mrs. Houdini and their outrageous escapology act!

Several other equally memorable performances followed including my friend August also did a star turn with his hilarious air guitar show, and then once the acts were over, we were treated to a special guest appearance from The Analogz, a fabulous jazz and funk group who just happened to be in town from Paris. They took to the stage and in no time they had the whole party rocking.

For the remainder of the evening, August took on DJ duties and we were kept entertained till the early hours. In a city where most parties involve people doing their utmost to remain as glamorous and composed as possible, it was a breath of fresh air to see so many people letting loose, which is after all, what the true spirit of Vauleville was all about. Having had no idea what to expect from the evening I was really taken aback by how much genuine talent there was there, but then again, this is Hollywood!