 |
|
• EROS CITIES
• EROTICA / ZINE
• MASTHEAD
• ADVERTISE
|
|
erotica fictiongallerylifestyles fetishbdsmqueer/bi/transswingersfeatures news
briefsarticlessexy
spreadsfree speech x-presseros bits sound
offtriviasexfessionsdiva's debaucherysexual intelligence
reviewsevents los
angeles nightlifeeros photo classified ads about eros zine
Sponsored Links
|
You may be wondering "So, what IS 'Masque'"? The answer may just be beyond your wildest dreams. Close your eyes and imagine a truly wonderful, elegant evening of eclectic and evocative fetish-filled performances, sumptuous gourmet-quality dining, and socializing with the crème-de-la-crème of LA's chicly-costumed fetish community in one of Hollywood's most historic and picturesque venues, and you'll have some idea of what it's like to attend this truly unique event! The brainchild of Kink In The Caribbean creator Robert Fluty, Masque III, 2007 was held on September 14th at the landmark El Cid Dinner Theatre on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, and was an unforgettable event from beginning to end for all the lucky attendees. The evening began with a cocktail party under the stars in the moonlit courtyard of the El Cid. Surrounded by fountains, fragrant colorful 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 never quite sure exactly who you were speaking with, which lent an air of mischievous mystery to the whole occasion. Next, the elegantly dressed 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 ever-more-elaborately dressed guests being shown to their tables. And with the El Cid's high-ceilings, two-level seating, chandelier-lighting and intimate stage, there wasn't a bad seat in the house!
The show began with Master of Ceremonies "Prince Poppycock". Described by the LA Weekly as "a 6-foot-tall singing aristocrat-androgyne in brocade, silk and pantaloons" he immediately won over the crowd with his undeniable talents, unique humor and 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 wonderful aromas of the first course of dinner (we had the Veggie Croquettes and the Seared Beef Tenderloin with gorgonzola cheese, both excellent!), we were transported into the melodic fantasy world of The High Priestess. As she sang and played the harp (accompanied by Pan, no less), her bound nymphs danced around the stage, luring us into their garden of mythological delights. By the time the curtain closed, we felt transported - a feeling that would prevail throughout the rest of the night…
When the curtain reopened, however, the tranquil atmosphere created by the High Priestess was nowhere to be seen, and things couldn't have been more different! In place of the leafy garden and nubile nymphs, we were treated to the sight of international fetish model/"bondage damsel" Eden Wells, dancing and writhing her way across the stage in a 7-foot transparent ball, wearing a big black strap-on and not much else! As she continued to dance provocatively, the lights dimmed and the black-lights intensified. Finally, as she moved with more and more urgency, glow-in-the-dark liquid came shooting from the end of the strap-on, coating the inside of the ball, and Eden herself! At last, spent, she rolled offstage as the curtain closed, leaving us to wonder what else was in store for us. As the second of our four courses was served, we got our first taste of The Terror Twins. This was the first of two acts we would enjoy from the Atlanta-based duo, and although they're primarily known as a "grinding" act (more about that later!), they showed off their versatility by performing a seductive, sexy fire show. We were dazzled by their fire-eating and sensual fire-play, and their subdued-yet-raw sexual energy left us wanting more. Next up was the charming Amy O'Neill, looking beautifully authoritative in her latex military outfit and a leather Gestapo hat. 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! Time for the entrée course - the filet mignon was so tender it melted in your mouth! We sampled the salmon, too, and would have tried everything else if we'd been able to get our hands on it! The odors wafting through the room were sinfully delicious!
Lifting our eyes reluctantly from our food, we were entertained by experienced bondage and suspension artist Lew Rubens and famed bondage model Ashley Renee in a clever pirate-themed scene. Poor damsel-in-distress Ashley was captured by big-bad Pirate Lew in an act that featured bondage, suspension, and fire leading up the dramatic conclusion when he cut her down. Of course, like any true submissive, she willingly followed him off the stage on hands and knees… With the brief closing of a curtain we changed gears from an old-fashioned pirate tale to a futuristic "bizarre medical experiment gone bad", courtesy of Master Tom Moore and Mistress Nicolette. Dressed like post-apocalyptic mad-scientists, they performed wild scientific/medical/sexual experiments on each other, and their innovative costumes employed clear tubing that clearly showed us each bizarre, fluorescent fluid they "injected". By the time they left the stage, everyone in the audience would have willingly volunteered to play lab-rat for this sexy duo! Check-up, anyone? The sweetness of the fourth-and-final course of our marvelous meal (a choice of delectable, work-of-art beautiful, flourless chocolate cake or caramel flan) 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 light-hearted break, and the room filled with giddy laughter. It was a toss-up as to which was sweeter - Dot or dessert!
Sweet old-fashioned Dot turned out to be the calm before the storm, though, as we were next confronted with the in-your-face, raw sexual "nastiness" of Anastasia Pierce. Hailing from Switzerland , Anastasia is 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, daring us to watch her and want her. And once her captive Arachnia, joined her on stage, the scene got more and more intense, until we found ourselves holding our breath for what would come next. All-in-all, it was sometimes captivatingly uncomfortable to watch, but impossible to look away, and proved to be one of the highlights of the evening.
Exhilarated yet exhausted, we settled in for a little post-dessert coffee to the quirky, fun music of Mr. Uncertain. They continued to entertain us as we filtered out onto the patio for one last drink and a cigarette for the road, as this amazing, sumptuous, wild evening came to a close. If you were there, you know exactly how unique, intriguing and erotically-charged the evening was. If you weren't there, well…. I'll trust that now that you know what you missed, you won't make the same mistake next time… Editor's Note: At press time, the date for the next Masque is tentative, being planned to coincide with the LA Kink Ball. You'll want to stay tuned here for details as soon as they're available, as these limited-admission events sell out very quickly! And be sure to check out LAKinkBall.com and here at Eros Zine for details on the whole weekend of fetish debauchery in February.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||
|
 |
|