Burlesque artist, storyteller, comedienne and founder of The Cheek of It! School of Burlesque Zoe Charles will somehow be finding the time to perform her show ‘Memoirs of a Slutsky’ at Leicester Square Theatre on Saturday the 26th of October. In the show Zoe takes us back to the 1980s, to a life with three Mums, two Dads, eight kids, five cats, three gerbils, two rabbits and one council house to tell us the tale of a girl who goes in search of normal but ends up finding naughty!
We caught up with Zoe to ask her some questions about ‘Memoirs of a Slutsky’ and her not so glamorous lifestyle…
Funny Women: ‘Memoirs of a Slutsky’ is the personal tale of a girl who goes in search of normal and finds naughty – why did this girl think she wanted to search out normal at first?
Zoe Charles: Coming from a very alternative family and having a very alternative upbringing, can make you a bit of an outsider, when I was approaching puberty, I wanted nothing else but to fit in, like most young adolescents. It took me many years to finally except my inherited freakery and use it to my advantage.
FW: What made you want to tell this story?
ZC: There are a few reasons, firstly, the amount of people who insisted I write down and do something with all the crazy anecdotes I regularly tell. Secondly, I personally find it amusing that because of my job as a burlesque performer and teacher, people assume I live a serenely glamorous lifestyle, when in fact it's mostly been the opposite. You'll find out the third reason at the end of the show!
FW: What message do you hope the audience will take from ‘Memoirs of a Slutsky’?
ZC: The story focuses a lot on family, both the comedy and tragedy of life with people you both resist and love. I hope people take away a message of acceptance, love and pride of themselves and where they're come from and the realisation that when you try to escape who you are the joke is always in you.
FW: Why do you think burlesque has become so popular recently?
ZC: Burlesque is so popular firstly because it’s a fantastic art form. Secondly it embraces all sides of women, the funny, the sexy, the clever, the emotional, it's glamorous, imaginative and creative. Anyone who's seen a burlesque show, particularly if you are a woman, can't help but feel empowered by the self-expression, beauty and charm of it all. Thirdly in an era when the media dictates that to be considered attractive you must have the body of a 12 year old but with the boobs of a glamour model and the bottom of Beyonce, burlesque offers a safe, playful and authentic space for women and men to appreciate the power and glory of being a real woman.
FW: You founded The Cheek of It! School of Burlesque and describe it as ‘hilariously funny’, do you think funny is the new sexy?
ZC: Yes I do, often when women first come to a class, they get very serious in an attempt to be sexy, they soon learn that the more you laugh at yourself and the world, the more free you become and with freedom comes your natural sexy self-expression. There are very few places in the media where women are allowed to be both sexy and funny. Well burlesque celebrates them both and hallelujah for that!
Hallelujah indeed! You can catch ‘Memoirs of a Slutsky’ at Leicester Square Theatre on Saturday 26th of October at 9:00pm, for more details click HERE!
