From February, world class burlesque act La Femme Boheme will be heating up Wednesday nights at the Spice Cellar with a weekly event of glamour, finesse and dining. The gorgeous ladies behind La Femme Boheme – fashion designer Mariesa Mae and leading actress Penelope Morgan – took five minutes for a little chat with the BRAG.
You’re both pretty busy ladies – what do you do outside La Femme Boheme?
P: What, besides creating props, choreographing dances and designing costumes? I’m also relearning to play the piano and last year I was in a theatre production and this year… I was thinking about becoming a florist!
M: La Femme Boheme is a great creative outlet for me as I get to have so much fun thinking of new and interesting ways to take my clothes off! I have my own lingerie label Mariesa Mae Lingerie which takes up most of my time. Managing your own business is very full on and can be draining!
How did the idea for La Femme Boheme come about?
M: When I decided to do the lingerie label, I wanted it to be a collaboration of all of the things I loved doing, so the idea behind the label was to make showgirl, beautiful lingerie and showcase through the art of striptease.
P: I was performing by myself for a year and I found myself feeling quite alone. I much prefer performing with other people so I called Mariesa, who I met at NIDA and who I knew had a lingerie label, and asked her to jump on the burlesque bandwagon!
What can the audience expect from a night at La Femme Boheme?
P: Both Mariesa and I are lacking somewhat in the boob department, so don’t expect to see buxom beauties!
M: Yes, but, we make up for this in other ways! Our show is a celebration of the feminine. Bohemian elegance with a bit of neon pop, set to a soundtrack of New Orleans style jazz. All this with live piano, incredible food and amazing cocktails!
What is it that you love about burlesque?
We both love the creative outlet. Seeing the process through from creating the sets, designing the costumes and making the props and then the satisfaction of performing in our creation.
What, in your opinions, is the sexiest feature a woman can have?
P: Seeing a woman who is confident in her own skin.
M: I agree, there is nothing sexier. There is a great quote that Sophia Loren said about sex appeal. “50% is what you’ve got and 50% is what you think you’ve got.”
La Femme Boheme Weekly Burlesque is on Wednesday nights from 7pm til late at The Spice Cellar.
