The Saturday Cabaret: Claire and Alexandra's Triple XXX Revue
Pasadena, California: 5 May, 2001The cabaret stole the show at the Pasadena weekend. To be more specific, Claire and Alex stole the show. I hadn't planned to go to the cabaret, but after hearing both Claire and Alex tell the crowds how great their Revue show was going to be, I caved and bought a ticket. Thank goodness - if I hadn't, I'd have missed out on the source of a majority of the talk for the weekend!
Alex and Claire arrived on stage accompanied by music from Cabaret. They were dressed in fishnet tights, high heels, bowler hats, and black jackets. They produced a very super-secret-looking briefcase labeled "XXX" and opened it to reveal two big folders titled "FAN" and "FICTION." After that, they went to two lecterns in front of microphones and prepared to read.
First they thanked the authors they were going to read from - these were actual pieces of popular fan fiction. All were lighthearted spoofs on the show, the fans, and the subtext sexual tension. For those who are really curious, here's the stories they read:
Bedtime for Warriors and Bards by LN JamesThe stories had the crowd laughing themselves onto the floor, and Alex and Claire read them all with gusto. The crowd got into the act, too, when Xenafanaddicts 'R' Us called upon "Missy Good fan #2, 3, 4, 5, and 6" to say nothing but "What she said!" after every time Missy Good fan #1 spoke. After the third time, the whole crowd was shouting "WHAT SHE SAID!" on cue, and Claire told us all "OK, you just got the part."
Sinful Adventures by Mil Toro
Bonding of Souls: Down Home by CN Winters
Xenafanaddicts 'R' Us by Mil Toro
Xena's Kisses by Mil Toro
Since these were all parodies, everyone spent some time in the crossfire: the show's producers (Claire declared "Oh, we're never working again" after her third imitation of Rob Tapert's voice), the show's cliches, the Joxer fans, the Missy Good fans, the Gabrielle fans, the overeager fans, the kibitzing fans. Alex and Claire switched the roles of Xena and Gabrielle as they read different pieces, but I thought it was pretty funny that tall, dark-haired Claire read Gabrielle more often and short, blonde Alex read Xena more.
The big finale of the final skit called for Xena and Gabrielle to finally kiss. Alex and Claire squared off, met in between their microphones, took off their hats... and held their hats in front of them as their heads met. And then they dropped their hats, to show a slow, sexy smooch going on.
I can't think of the right words to describe how insane the crowd went. Everyone was rowdy, cheering, laughing during the whole revue, but this brought a new level of uproar. I honestly think the noise of that smaller crowd rivaled the thunder when Lucy and Renee appeared on stage the next day. Alex and Claire proudly took their bows and marched offstage.
My kudos go to Claire and Alex for such a gutsy and fan-loving sketch. The kiss, of course, is getting the most attention from people, but I loved the whole thing for how much it embraced the fan's toys and tweaks, and for charging right into areas like subtext and fan fiction that are usually acknowledged only on the periphery of the official show. And it was just darned hilarious. You go, ladies!
I didn't take my camera to the cabaret, but pictures of the big event are on Alex Tydings' official site at: www.alextydings.com/photos/cabaretkiss.htm
PS. One person who took particular ribbing during the skits was Ted Raimi, who was also performing that night. To help make sure there were no hard feelings, Alex and Claire gave him a special introduction with lots of love before his appearance.
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