Berlesker: Handcrafted Literary Journal vol II | Page 30

bottom left to top right: Sammy Tramp
Mistress B - Foxxx Trot - Dottie Lux

Attack of the Killer Clown Babes:
Performers Who Switch Up the
Worlds of Clown and Burlesque
by Trav S.D.

A

pc bottom left to top right:
Mark Zimin
Jamie Midley
Vita Generalova
Leland Bobbe

19 Berlesker

s someone who writes about all the various variety arts (vaudeville, burlesque, circus, music hall, etc.) I am interest
ed in how the different forms overlap, resemble and crossfertilize each other. Back in the day, there weren’t really any silos; performers would move back and forth between the various circuits
with minor adjustments without a huge amount of culture clash. Today, in the age of revival, it seems to be largely about subcultures. I
have burlesque friends, I have circus friends, I have clown friends,
and so forth, and as a matter of course they keep to their own territory. But there are some who sort of have a foot in multiple worlds
(and this is of special interest to me as I try to keep a hand in ALL the
worlds). The number who do both clown and burlesque is surprisingly small, given the common denominators of humor, exaggeration, mime, and colorful crazy costumes, wigs and make-up. The list
is longer when I think of funny burlesque performers (Murray Hill,
World Famous Bob, Dirty Martini, Nasty Canasta, Tigger, James Habacker, and Creamee Stevens all spring immediately to mind). Some
have had a foot in both camps but do no longer, like Juliet Jeske, who
continues to perform in burlesque and variety shows but has pulled
completely out of the clown world aside from children’s birthday parties; and Bradford Scobie who used to do a hilarious sad sack clown
character with a green nose named Ukulele Louie. But here are a few
I know about who truly seem to bridge both worlds at this writing: