When to End an Act: a Contemplation on Problematic Faves

This post isn't about the final note or move of an burlesque routine (although my teacher Ginger Valentine had some things to say about fade outs in music).  Rather I want to talk about an act's longevity and when it's time for them to stay in the closet permanently.  Burlesque acts don't live for eternity— at least in the form they started with.  They evolve, or they retire.  Some acts do become a signature and live in people's minds, but there comes a point where a performer decides to move on.

Sorry James Dean, I still don't
know what to do with you.
Photo by Mr. Photopix

 

Sometimes we don't have a choice.  A costume no longer fits, or a prop breaks.  You can always alter and repair, just as you can modify the narrative or perspective of a routine that isn't working the way you had envisioned.  I have a couple of numbers that are on the backburner because they were created before I started doing drag, and I'm wondering if Tony Fo-Hawk could do more with them.  I haven't exactly found the answers or the motivation to figure out how to improve them so they'll sit in the closet. 

Other times we are forced to make a decision about the act.  Burlesque is supposed to be provocative, but sometimes we get blinded by privilege.  Although I haven't experienced being called out for a burlesque act, I do know what's it's like to be guilty of cultural appropriation and not realize it until later.  I made the decision to stop coming up with my own steampunk versions of yukatas because I'm not Japanese.  People may think that I'm being too harsh on myself, but it's a decision I made based on feedback from Japanese people and research.  We're told that we have to take criticisms about our performance so what's to keep us from considering criticism about contributing to oppression.

Nowadays, we have to look even closer at whether we are indirectly complicit in oppression through promoting a problematic individual.  One example—the one who inspired this post—is J.K. Rowling and the world of Harry Potter.  It's easy to say that fandom has outgrown the creator, but until Harry Potter becomes public domain a la Cthulhu (although let's not forget how horrible Lovecraft was), we have to remember that Rowling remains associated with and profiting off the character and his world.  Even if she doesn't see a dime from nerdlesque shows or we actually have a trans Harry, we are still getting people excited about her creation.  Some of them will go to the latest Fantastic Beasts movie or buy a set of Harry Potter books to give to a family member who's just started to read.  This is why I'm retiring Cho Chang for now even if she was created out of criticism for Rowling's racially insensitive portrayal.  Let's find another fantasy series (preferably by a trans writer) to get excited about.

Holiday at Hogwarts is a nice way to end Cho Chang's run
(for now).  Maybe she'll come back some day...
Photo by Saraphimart.

You might be asking if I'm going to do the same for Kaylee Frye or Mantis since Joss Whedon and James Gunn are problematic people who are still making lots of money (and I know Gunn apologized for his offensive posts, but I have issues with his treatment of Nicole Perlman).  Neither of them have a similar place in our cultural zeitgeist.  Firefly is long finished even though there are comics, and I don't hear people rave about it as much as I did in college.  Guardians of the Galaxy has a life beyond the movies, as I reveal with my transformation into Mantis' earlier incarnation.  I also feel like those acts are more explicit in their critiques, which happened to be the artistic choice I made.

Ultimately each of us has our own line to draw over where we can split artist with creation.  And it can move.  As a producer, I have to not only look at my acts but others as well.  I have to think about the message the show broadcasts, and yes, I do think about whether you have music from a problematic artist or are extolling a character of questionable morals.  Sometimes it's harmless fun, but just as the rule (guideline? ideal?) of comedy is to "punch up", I'd rather we all promote and pay homage to the marginalized voices who deserve just as much, or even more, recognition as our "problematic faves".

On the subject of my Original Kaylee number, the quarantine version of it is available in the on-demand recording of Magical Girl Burlesque presents: Comic Con-solation Prize.  Sent producer Betty Brash $10 in one of the ways below with "MGB Con" in the subject to receive the video link:
Cash app - $BettyBrash
PayPal - bettybrashburlesque@gmail.com
Venmo - @BettyBrash