May 4, 2018

On the second anniversary of my blog, Union Suit Fan, I'd like to introduce you to Union Suit Fans in the Limelight. 

It has become increasingly surprising to me that so many folks enjoy performing in just their long one-piece wonders... be they singers or dancers, actors or clowns, members of a band or just regular folks out for a good and comfortable time. I, myself, appeared in three plays in high school. In one I wore a toga, in another an elf's costume, and in a third, a white union suit. See my December 15, 2016 posting in Union Suit Fan entitled, “Me and My Union Suit.” Ahhh, youth! 

As an adult, I found myself in a community play in which I played a not so bright but lovable mid-west farmer who's wife tricked him into attending a friend's funeral in just his long underwear. You see, she bet a friend that she had the more foolish husband and promptly proceeded to prove it. Night after night, my “wife” sat in her rocking chair sewing for me a new suit of clothes. The plot thickened when she informed me that whoever tells a lie is unable to see the luxurious cloth from which the clothes are made. When the suit was finally finished, I could not, would not, admit to telling a fib or two now and then, especially to her. Therefore, my wife had me strip off my overalls and shirt, don the new (invisible) clothes and attend the funeral. She forced me to go out in public wearing nothing but a red union suit, black shoes with white socks, a hat and a tie!  

Now my friend, a hypochondriac, wasn't really dead. For you see as part of the wager, his wife easily convinced him that he had fallen so ill that he had died. Quite a stir ensued among the attendees when I arrived at his "funeral," especially when my friend heard all the commotion, sat up in his coffin and, upon seeing me, exclaimed “you sure look foolish standing there in just your underwear.” At the end of the play, the audience voted by applause as to which wife had the more foolish husband. The winner? The fool wearing the bright red union suit, of course.

At any rate, there are countless acts from vaudeville to present day burlesque, from movies to television shows, from Broadway to school and community theatre with people revealing their warm side by dressing and performing in button down, drop seat long johns. There is a bountiful amount of material for me to create Union Suit Fans in the Limelight!

And now, as they say in show business, without further ado it's on with the show.....

Speaking of burlesque, let me first introduce you to the Barberi Quartet. These singers perform now and again at the Reykjavik Kabarett in Iceland, the city's first burlesque cabaret. From the kabarett website these words: "The outstanding Icelandic Cabaret family is located in the magnificent basement of the National Theater. Don't let the venue name scare you, it's the most beautiful basement in Reykjavík. The show features Icelandic variety royalty with local and international guests. You can expect burlesque, magic, comedy, vaudeville, drag, and all sorts of nonsense. Performances are rotated and every show has guest performers. 

"This means every show is different. You must be over 20 to attend. You don't need to understand a word in Icelandic to enjoy the show. The kabarett is an ensemble of different artists with one thing in common: The acts are hilariously funny, and sexy at the same time." 

Below: The Barbari Quartet performing at the kabarett. To the delight of their audiences, they appear in bright red Union Suits. They are very good vocalists! Recently, the producer bragged, "the last time the quartet sang here the audience made sounds last heard during Beatle Mania." 

The Barberi Quartet perform in their Underwear
for adoring fans in Iceland

Here's another look at the boys, fully dressed:

No doubt about it, the Barberi Quartet are Union Suit Fans in the Limelight!

lime·light  ˈlīmˌlīt/

noun def.   
the focus of public attention.

1. • intense white light obtained by heating a cylinder of lime, formerly used in theaters.

Hopefully you will enjoy my new blog. Look for another “act” about the first week of every month. Break a leg, Chris 

Coming in June: a panic attack!