The brainchild of Kink In The Caribbean creator Robert Fluty, the third Masque cabaret dinner was held on September 14 at the El Cid Dinner Theater on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. It was an unforgettable event from beginning to end.
The evening began with a cocktail party under the stars in the moonlit courtyard of this historical landmark venue. Surrounded by fountains, fragrant colourful gardens and tall trees, it provided the perfect romantic backdrop for the meet-and-greet portion of the evening. Of course, at this ‘masks required’ event, you were not always sure exactly who you were speaking with, which lent an air of mischievous mystery to the whole occasion.
Guests were escorted group-by-group to their seats for the dinner and cabaret show. The interior of the El Cid is a beautifully detailed authentic replica of a 16th century Spanish tavern, and is itself a sight to behold, though we were really more interested in watching the parade of elaborately dressed guests being shown to their tables. And with the El Cid’s high-ceilings, two-tier seating, chandelier-lighting and intimate stage, there wasn’t a bad seat in the house!
The show was opened by MC Prince Poppycock. This ‘six-foot-tall singing aristocrat-androgyne in brocade, silk and pantaloons’ (to quote LA weekly)immediately won over the crowd with his humour and a surprisingly lovely operatic voice. A balance between baroque and glam, disco and opera, he was the perfect host for the evening’s festivities.
As the room filled with the aromas of the first course of dinner, we were transported into the melodic fantasy world of The High Priestess. As she sang and played the harp (accompanied by her very own Pan), her bound nymphs danced around the stage, luring us into their garden of mythological delights. By the time the curtain closed, we felt transported.
When the curtain reopened, things couldn’t have been more different! In place of the leafy garden and nubile nymphs was top fetish and bondage model Eden Wells, dancing and writhing her way across the stage in a seven-foot transparent ball, wearing a big black strap-on and not much else! Bathed in UV light, her act literally climaxed when luminous liquid came shooting from the end of the strap-on, coating the inside of the ball and Eden herself!
‘Eden Wells danced and writhed her way across the stage in a seven-foot transparent ball, wearing a big black strap-on’
As the second of our four courses was served, we got the first of two tastes of The Terror Twins. This Atlanta-based duo, primarily known as a grinding act, showed off their versatility by performing a seductive, sexy fire show.
They were followed by Amy O’Neill, looking beautifully authoritative in her latex military outfit and leather Gestapo cap. She twirled and balanced a blue ball atop her red and white parasol in ways that defied gravity, and then played seductively with a variety of props. If you never thought a balancing act could look sexy, you’ve never seen Amy!
The dinner’s main course choices included salmon and a filet mignon so tender it melted in your mouth. We would have tried everything else too if we’d been able to get our hands on it! As we ate, we were entertained by two famous names from the world of bondage, rope artist Lew Rubens and bondage model Ashley Renee, in a pirate-themed scene. Poor damsel-in-distress Ashley was captured by big-bad Pirate Lew in an act that featured bondage, suspension and fire, and a dramatic cutting-down as its conclusion.
In complete contrast, Master Tom Moore and Mistress Nicolette offered us what looked like a bizarre medical experiment gone bad. Dressed like post-apocalyptic mad-scientists, they performed wild scientific/medical/sexual experiments on each other, wearing costumes bedecked by clear tubing through which fluorescent fluids were injected. By the time they left the stage, we were confident everyone in the audience would have willingly volunteered to play lab-rat for this sexy duo!
Our fourth course was accompanied by a charmingly adorable clown striptease by Dot Toddy. After the intensity of some of the earlier acts, Dot’s cute, cuddly, sexy burlesque offered us a lighthearted break, and the room filled with giddy laughter. It was a toss-up as to which was sweeter — Dot or the dessert!
Sweetness was soon replaced, however, by the in-your-face, raw sexual ‘nastiness’ of Anastasia Pierce. This California-based Swiss Miss has become one of the most popular fetish performance artists on the international circuit, and her wild performance certainly showed us why she’s so sought-after.
Dressed in purple and black latex, she strutted her stuff on the stage with so much attitude, it was as if she was daring us to look, and things got even more intense once her captive, Arachnia, joined her on stage. It was one of the highlights of the evening — sometimes uncomfortable to watch, but impossible to look away from.
Finally, the Terror Twins took the stage again for a show-stopping (and heart-stopping) Grand Grinder Finale. In their custom-made steel costumes, the Twins performed a beautifully choreographed angle-grinding act whose climax sent an eruption of sparks flying up to the top of the El Cid’s high ceiling. It was impossible not to be impressed by the daring, high-energy sexuality these two women brought to their performance.
After this high point, the quirky, fun music of Mr Uncertain entertained us as we filtered out onto the patio for one last drink and a cigarette for the road, before this amazing, sumptuous, wild evening came to a close.
(Adapted from an article by Hilary Branner and Catherine Simpson of HilarysPartys.com)
‘It was impossible not to be impressed by the daring, high-energy sexuality the Terror Twins brought to their performance’
