I will take any opportunity to keep Mae West‘s memory alive here on THM - I’ve worshiped her since I was a child.  Not just a film actress, West was a pioneer of the stage who didn’t wait around for parts to be written for her.  Nor did she shy away from the subject matter that interested her most – sex.  So it just stands to reason that she would write a vehicle for herself which she could star in – and title it bluntly.

Almost a century later, I’m absolutely ecstatic that The Dirty Blondes will present a staged reading of Mae West’s infamous stage play, SEX, for a limited engagement September 29-October 2 at UNDER St. Marks, directed by Courtney Laine Self.  Written by West almost 90 years ago, SEX is about a sharp-witted prostitute from Montreal’s Red Light District looking for true love.  It was initially shut down in 1927 during its Broadway run, and West was jailed for “lewdness and corrupting the youth.”

I got to chat with Ashley Jacobson, the Artistic Director of The Dirty Blondes, who took a minute out of her hectic schedule to talk about sex, SEX, how some things never change – and how the things that DO change are not always what you think.

It is SO GREAT to see someone take this great play out of the trunk, dust it off, and give it a good shine. I’ve been a Mae West fan since the age of 8, so literally grew up knowing about Mae West, her work and her mission. But why don’t you go ahead and tell us a little bit about how you came to know about SEX and what made it seem like the perfect script to do as a staged reading?

Ashley Jacobson: I always grew up knowing about Mae West as well, but mostly just about her stardom/Hollywood Fame. I came across her book of plays on Amazon one day when I was looking for plays by women, and was so confused! I had no idea she had been a playwright, let alone one that was produced on Broadway. Then I just fell down the research rabbit hole and became more and more impressed by her and excited by the play’s history. She was the patron saint bad-ass we have been looking for! As a company with the name “Dirty Blondes” we are clearly interested in playing off people’s perceptions of femininity and sexuality and challenging these notions with surprising theater. Mae West literally embodies everything we think about ourselves as a company, so it seemed like the perfect thing to explore.

We also wanted to do it as a reading because we wanted it to be presented as a conversation starter, rather than a perfectly polished piece. There is a lot of meat in her play and a LOT to talk about – in terms of the play itself and what Mae West meant by all of it. There are also some problematic elements, including the way race is discussed in the play. So we wanted to present it and make sure we had the opportunity to provide the context and conversation around it. A reading seemed like the best way to accomplish all that.

There’s a lot that’s changed in the 90 years since SEX was seen by its original audience. Obviously what was considered shocking and scandalous back then is almost yawn-inducing now. Does this script hold up? And in the parts where it may not, are you playing it straight, or giving a bit of a wink-and-nod to the audience?

Ashley: The script holds up! Not just for its salaciousness, but Mae wrote some really interesting characters in her play and good characters will always hold up. The story itself, about redemption and about this woman finding her way to a new life, is a timeless story. We’re playing the script straight, letting it speak for itself but also being completely conscious of things that might be considered problematic NOW. The play still needs a “trigger warning” – and not for the same reasons it was considered problematic 90 years ago. There is a lot of talk of violence against women, some racist language – these things were considered fine then, but they certainly aren’t now. Mae West captured a moment in time with this play, and showed us how it was for women in the 20s. We’re interested in exploring that much more than the raunchiness of the story – which, you’re right, isn’t anything to bat an eye at now.

Mae West was a pioneer – a feminist long before the feminist movement. If she was around today, what updates do you think she’d be making to her work in general? And more directly – how different would SEX be if she were to write it in 2016?

Ashley: Wow! What a question! You can see that Mae West progressed as a feminist even in her own life. By the time she reached Hollywood she was one of the biggest advocates for including people of color in her films, and when she was on Broadway she insisted on casting gay & lesbian actors, even though they weren’t allowed in the union. I don’t know if I can speculate on the type of artist she would be now – although I’m sure she would be basking, enjoying the fearlessness of some fellow female performers in the comedy and TV arena – but I honestly don’t know if SEX would be all that different. I would hope it would have a better take on race relations now, but I think it would still focus on how women are continuously reduced to the lowest common denominator. I think it would still talk about the struggle to find empowerment in female sexuality, while avoiding being defined by it. Violence against women is still a serious issue, human trafficking and unfair treatment of sex workers are all important issues now and she sheds some serious light on them in her play.

The Dirty Blondes embody so much of what Mae West was herself – a feisty, strong female doing it all – creatively – herself. Talk to me about what it would be like if you could bring her back and have her come see your staged reading. Do you think she’d be honored? Pleased? Or a little threatened even?

Ashley: Oh God, that would be incredible. (Also thank you for the very nice description!). I would hope she would be honored and excited for us. I would hope that she would see how she paved the way for us to be more fearless and unapologetic – to create the theater that we aren’t seeing anywhere else. She might be a little overwhelmed by how much we intend to dissect the work in our talkbacks but I hope she would see that we are doing that because we believe that she had so much to offer; that her play, although it was widely panned by critics during its time, is actually a full and fruitful story with so much to say about being a woman then AND now. I think Mae West, were she alive today, would be a huge proponent of sisterhood and supporting women artists. There is room for all of us, and I believe that Mae West believes that. She wrote roles for herself and then cast as many people as humanly possible in her plays – she was an artists’ artist.

Finally – staged readings are fantastic. I’ve seen some where you forget you’re not watching an actual play. However, there’s always hope for bigger and better, right? In which case I’m wondering – does The Dirty Blondes have any hopes of doing a full-out production of SEX if this reading goes well?

Ashley: I guess we’ll have to see, but I think the fact that its a reading is a really big part of what we’re doing. We have scheduled some incredible talkbacks with current and retired Sex Workers, Feminist Burlesque Dancers, and an incredible Mae West historian. We really wanted to place the play at the center of a larger conversation – and sometimes you can’t do that in a full production. So presenting the piece as kind of a work-in-progress is important to us. But who knows, if we get the lightning to hit just right, there could be room for bigger aspirations!

Thanks so much for not only answering these questions, but for bringing this back to the stage. I can’t tell you how excited I am to know that new audiences will be seeing this work – even (if only for now) as just a reading!

Ashley: Thank you for such thought-provoking questions!

~~~

For a little extra fun, I’m going to leave you with some Mae West Drunk History courtesy of The Dirty Blondes themselves. Take it away, gals …

Mae West Drunk History from The Dirty Blondes on Vimeo.

~~~

FRIGID NEW YORK @ HORSE TRADE
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
THE DIRTY BLONDES

PRESENT

MAE WEST’S SEX
directed by Courtney Laine Self

September 29-October 2

UNDER St. Marks
94 St. Marks Place
(between 1 st Avenue and Avenue A)
Performances: Thursday through Sunday at 7pm
Tickets: $17
CLICK HERE to purchase

Talkback Schedule:

Kick off the opening night with some bad ass feminist poetry by Maya Osborne and guests, and stay after the show to grab a drink and talk to our amazing cast.

Friday, September 30
Native New Yorker LindaAnn Loschiavo is a journalist, dramatist and Mae West Historian.

Saturday, October 1
Juniper Fleming previously directed, produced, and performed in an all sex worker revival of SEX, at Dixon Place Theater this past June.

Sunday, October 2
Veronica Varlow is a siren born of the 1940s Fantasy of Pinup Girls and Femme Fatales. Beguiling and beautiful, Varlow weaves a spell upon her audiences like none other.

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• Why So Much Shame?: 10 Things To Know About The Show Before You Go (2016 FRIGID NEW YORK FESTIVAL)
• Basic Help (2014 Frigid New York Festival)
• Tina And Amy: Last Night In Paradise (2014 Frigid New York Festival)

If the name Mae West means nothing to you, then you should come up and see me some time . . . and I’ll fill you in. My knowledge of this woman – her life, her career, her philosophy – is so encyclopedic that a friend once suggested I teach a college course on her.

It’s been thirty years since her death but I can remember the details as if it were yesterday.  True, I was just a child, but the effect she’d had on my short life at that point was already indelible and I morned her death on Nov 22, 1980 with as much grief as the rest of the world morned John Lennon just a few weeks later.

But like so many iconic celebrities, Mae West continues to live on and on . . . as evidenced by the  stronghold her image still has on pop culture.  In fact, there’s going to be a Mae West Birthday Bash happening this upcoming weekend, hosted by The Gaudy Girls! I got a chance to chat about Mae, Sophie Tucker, the joys of celebrating strong women, and the importance of keeping the torch going  when I caught up with Maggie Worsdale who embodies Sophie Tucker (“The Last of the Red Hot Mamas!”)  and Anne Marie Finnie who channels Mae West. Together, they are The Gaudy Girls.

Tell me a little bit about The Gaudy Girls – How did you both come up with the idea of bringing the fabulous Mae West and Sophie Tucker to new audiences?

Anne Marie Finnie as Mae West and Maggie Worsdale as The Last of the Red Hot Mamas - Sophie Tucker

Maggie Worsdale: Anne Marie Finnie portrayed Mae West in a show in NJ.  I was in that production.  6 months later I portrayed Sophie Tucker at that same theater and she came to see the show.  We decided to put both gals on the same bill.  The show has been going strong for the past 6 years.  We’ve played Atlantic City, Yonkers Raceway, The Poconos and the Catskills.  We also produced an album 3 years ago which is loaded with many of our show tunes. We have 2 distinct shows – Vaudeville and Las Vegas Style.  Currently, this is the only show with which we are touring.

What do you think today’s gals could learn from Mae and Sophie?

Maggie: The greatest lesson they taught was that you must believe in yourself no matter what anyone else is saying about you.  You will fail but you must keep going.  In the end, those perceived failures were truly your greatest achievements. THESE TWO GALS SEIZED EVERY OPPORTUNITY THAT CAME THEIR WAY!

You ladies make a career of adopting the personae of very strong, very independent woman who, without a doubt, were ahead of their time.  How has stepping into their lives affected how you live your own life?

Maggie: What a great question!  We transform onstage.  Anne Marie Finnie more than I.  I’m a big mouth on and off the stage.  Anne Marie is much more demure.  It’s just too much fun to put on all the glitz, gloves, diamonds, hats, sequin boas and knock ’em out with a hot rendition of A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND.  We’ve been at this thing – THE GAUDY GIRLS – for about 6 years and the show is well seasoned.  To know that an audience is going to be entertained beyond their expectation as we are standing behind the curtain before our entrance is a thrill!

Anne, when you channel Mae, do you embody her from a particular movie, or period of time?

Anne Marie Finnie: No particular movie or time period.  I even add a bit of my personality to the fold which makes the show more pliable.  Mae West’s one-liners, songs, naughty innuendos, and the fussin’ the male element of the audience drives them all wild.

You’re hosting Mae West’s Birthday Bash at The Actor’s Temple Theatre on Saturday August 14th which (by my count) would have been Mae West’s 118th Birthday.  What can people expect if they buy a ticket to this fantastic shindig?

Classic Tucker/West songs such as FRANKIE AND JOHNNY, THERE’LL BE SOME CHANGES, THAT’S ALL BROTHER, BLUES IN THE NIGHT, SOME OF THESE DAYS and more.  Mae will treat the audience to a reprise of her Academy Award appearance in 1958 with Rock Hudson – it’s legendary!  There will be a shimmy contest, best dressed award, and gorgeous raffle gifts.

Goodness Had Nothing To Do With It . . .

If Mae was around today – do you think she’d enjoy the party you’re throwing for her?

We think she made this whole party happen. She’ll love it!  She’ll be there.

And finally, leave us with your favorite Mae West one-liner . . .

Is that a pistol in your pocket or are you just glad to see me?  (classic!)

__________________

While I didn’t get to speak with her directly, LindaAnn Loschiavo is the woman who has put on this MAE WEST BIRTHDAY GALA for the last handful of years.  She has maintained a Mae West Blog for 7 years. LindaAnn also wrote a fantastic play called COURTING MAE WEST.

See below for all party details!

* * *

Empress of Sex Offers Free Admission For VIRGINS in August

Mae West and Sophie Tucker Sizzle at the Annual Mae West Birthday Tribute New York, NY:  The general public will pay $15 each to enjoy the Annual Mae West Birthday Tribute — — but virgins (who are over 21 years of age) will be admitted free — — when the Empress of Sex and the Last of the Red Hot Mamas entertain on Saturday, August 14^th, 2010. The organizers will have a mind reader at the door to determine who is naughty and who is “snow white.”  Mae West once said, “I was snow white — — but I drifted.” In honor of Mae’s upcoming birthday, both the pure and the (ahem) experienced are welcome to enjoy the music made famous by Mae West, the Empress of Sex, and Sophie Tucker, the Last of The Red Hot Mamas.

Join us for a shimmy-long night of good songs, swell jokes, jaw-dropping raffle prizes, and more. And the live entertainment will ignite you and delight you on Saturday August 14, 2010 when two broads head back to Broadway — — Sophie Tucker along with Mae West.

Continuing her custom of commemorating the birthday of Mae West, playwright LindaAnn Loschiavo has a most exciting late-night treat in store this year: The Gaudy Girls, two talented beauties who perform the best-loved songs made famous by Sophie Tucker and Mae West.

As part of their repertoire, the ladies will spotlight a tribute to the New York-based composers and lyricists who created those popular numbers such as “Blues in the Night,” “Some of these days,” “Everybody Shimmies Now,” “Beautiful Baby,” “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” and more. It’s one night only so plan to come up and see Mae — — and Sophie.

Related Posts:

• The Dirty Blondes Talk About SEX