In a little theater underneath I -10, a Princeton graduate dressed in little more than her underwear sings about her days as a stripper, while her friend shows off her Las Vegas dance moves.
The women are the stars of “Backstage at Da Fonky Burlesk,” a soul musical, which is wrapping up its Baton Rouge performances at the Spanish Moon Friday, March 11 and Saturday, March 12 at 7 p.m.
The two-woman show consists of 11 original song and dance numbers, said Alycya Miller, Princeton graduate and writer, director and star of the show.
The musical tells the story of a celebrity whose New Orleans stripper roots are revealed by the media, said Nedra Ne’Quan, show costar and former Vegas lounge dancer.
Miller said one of her friends worked in a New Orleans club, so she interviewed her to get the right feel for the show.
The show is unified by its soundtrack, Miller said. Miller produced the tracks and wrote one song, “Sweet Danger.” Singer-songwriter Darlyne Cain wrote the other 10 songs.
Miller said she and Cain met while they were both in a North Carolina funk and rhythm and blues band, The Super Freaks.
While working with the band, Cain wrote a song called “Baby Calm Down” that inspired Miller to write the show, Miller said.
“The song is very catchy and fun,” Cain said. “People like catchy stuff, it’s fun to sing.”
Ne’Quan said she began to work with Miller on the show and its soundtrack in September.
With Miller and Ne’Quan on lead vocals, the recorded soundtrack is backed up by the works of some of New Orleans’ best musicians, including Edwin Livingston and Jamal Baptiste, Miller said.
“It’s an eclectic fusion, fusing blues and jazz and even some Latin songs together,” said Miller. “But all the songs have a funk sound.”
The dance varies as well, with salsa, burlesque, classic striptease and ballet, Miller said.
A difficult part of performing was wearing the skimpy costumes — they are little more than bras and panties, Miller said.
“But there is no nudity in the show unless a boob falls out accidentally,” Miller said. “It’s burlesque — the whole show is a tease…that unravels the story from beginning to end.”
Anyone would enjoy the show, but artists would really appreciate and relate to it, Cain said.
“It’s well worth seeing,” Cain said. “It’s some good grooving music, man.”
The show has appealed to most people so far, Ne’Quan said.
“We’ve had all ages — senior couples, college students and teenagers,” Ne’Quan said. “We have ballet, samba, jazz, rock and techno — songs that reach everybody.”
The show deals with important issues like domestic violence and friendship, Ne’Quan said.
“It’s something different,” Ne’Quan said. “It teaches you to stay true to yourself — that’s who you’ve got in the end.”
Miller said she plans on changing the script, increasing the cast size and promoting the show to television companies,
University students interested in participating in the project should look at the show’s Web site, www.thefunkyb.com, Miller said.