Photo by Wendy Schreier
Quarters Rock ’n’ Roll Palace, despite its grandiose name, is a corner bar on Center Street in Riverwest. Inside, illuminated on a small stage, is Angelica Ortiz, or as she is known when she performs, Reina Fire. She is wearing a black corset that sparkles with sequins, sheer underwear with fringe attached, black Mary Janes and sleek opera gloves. An ornate blue poinsettia decorates her hair. She is waving her arms and shaking her hips to “Belleville Rendez-vous,” a French swing song, her bright red lips smiling seductively.
Gyrating to the music, the corset is slowly taken off, the opera gloves pulled off temptingly with her teeth, the bra removed. She turns to the audience at the finale of the song, now in her underwear and a pair of pasties, swiveling her breasts to make the tassels spin like miniature airplane propellers. The crowd is small—about 20 people, but enthusiastic, and erupts into a chorus of catcalls and wolf-whistles.
Cream City Cabaret was founded last year by Sarah Jacobson, and now has about eight members (all with cheeky stage names, like Kiki Banks and Dora Diamond), and includes drag queens, drag kings, traditional burlesque performers and comedy acts. After being offered a weekly show at the Riverwest Public House (they moved to Quarters last month), Jacobson decided to form the troupe. Jacobson also used her connections within Milwaukee’s burlesque scene to line up guest performers from other groups.
“I work with all of them,” Jacobson says. “There’s the Miltown Kings, Moonlight Muse Burlesque, the Brew City Bombshafts, Rockabilly Girl Productions, Party-Girls Pin-Ups, there’s a group that runs out of The Local I haven’t seen yet. It’s the most accepting, electric, creative community I’ve been involved with.”
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Jacobson says her own troupe “is more about potential than anything else.” Keeping that potential moving is hard work. Jacobson fills her spare time promoting, organizing and “keeping the show fresh.” She explains, “I know if I’m getting bored with it, my audience is getting bored with it.” The payoff with a weekly show, she adds, is that the group is always practicing, always improving upon their act.
Adding to this workload, Jacobson also organizes an annual Crème de la Crème Burlesque Festival that brings in burlesque beauties from around the country to show off their talents. Now in its second year, the festival is scheduled to take place at the remodeled Modjeska Theater next May.
Jacobson also performs with the troupe, dressing as a corny vaudeville character named Cheap Thrills, who wears a fake moustache, bow tie and fedora. On this night, Cheap Thrills’ number is lip-synching a heartfelt performance of the “The Bigger the Figure,” a tribute to larger ladies by Louis Prima. Tracey Collins, who performs as Delilah Double Down is watching from backstage. She joined the group after Jacobson dared her to.
“I was like, there’s no way I could possibly do it. Finally I broke down and said, ‘Fine, I’ll do a number.’” She chose “Buttons” by the Pussycat Dolls. Waiting for her turn onstage that first time, she was so nervous that she thought she might vomit or burst into tears.
“I was literally shaking in my boots, and then [burlesque performer Annetta Vendetta] who is a veteran of the scene came up to me right before I was supposed to go on. She bumped her chest, full of glitter against mine and said, ‘That’s for luck,’” Collins laughs. “I think it gave me a lot of power and confidence in myself.” Confidence and fun seem to be the big payout for the troupe, rather than potential monetary gain.
“I’m hard on myself when it comes to my body image. I’ve never accepted myself for who I am and how I look, and I feel this was a huge turning point for me because I’m like, ‘Wait, I am hot! Fuck everyone who says I’m not,’” Collins explains. “Burlesque was super empowering—me being born again as a person who accepted my own body.”
That’s a sentiment Ortiz agrees with. She says she felt “shy and ashamed [her] whole life” about her body, but now revels in shimmying onstage as Reina Fire. “It feels really amazing to finally be able to not feel that way and not care who’s watching,” Ortiz explains. “Performing has really opened my eyes to a much more positive way of thinking about myself. Plus, on a side note, I firmly believe everyone needs to feel glamorous whether or not you perform. It feels fantastic to be fabulous.”
Cream City Cabaret performs at Quarters (900 E. Center St.) at 10 p.m. every Monday and at Frank’s Power Plant (2800 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.) every fourth Friday of the month at 10 p.m. For more information, visit milwaukeeburlesque.com.
