Ginger Liu Photography

The dulcet infectious lyrics of the Wet Spots, “Do You Take it in the Ass,” are Lili VonSchtupp’s cue to start the show. Dressed in a black slip which leaves little to the imagination, Lili takes to the stage, bends to the floor with her ass facing the crowd, and points her finger. The music disappears and Lili faces the audience. She welcomes the crowd, simultaneously sounding off a dozen or so expletives, just, as she says, to get them off her chest. She’s now ready to start the show. This is Monday Night Tease, Los Angeles longest running weekly Burlesque show at the 3 Clubs onSanta Monica and Vine. 3 Clubs is a two roomed joint with a long bar in one room, where a sliding door takes you into the second room. Here you will find plenty of comfy couches in swanky booths, spacious tables, an elevated stage, and generous bar.

Originally from Iowa, Lili made her segue way into burlesque four years ago when she took professional lessons. It wasn’t long before she produced Monday Night Tease with her business partner and fellow performer, Scarlet Letter. Both have worked tirelessly to keep MNT the longest weekly burlesque show in LA, as well as regular appearances at other local events and countrywide shows. By day, Lili was a successful radio talk show producer for the internationally syndicated, Online Tonight with David Lawrence. She takes her name from Madeline Kahn’s character in the brilliantMel Brook’s movie, Blazing Saddles. Burlesque and MNT is now a full-time job for her. But that’s not typical. Most performers have day jobs and perform for the love of it, at night. “We have performers who are lawyers, managers and theatre majors,” says Lili. “My husband is a working actor, so I’m able to do this full-time.”

Burlesque has its roots in Victorian England with the British Blondes who first appeared in the USA in the 1860’s. Performers would mock established entertainment such as Opera, ballet, and Shakespearean drama. Within a couple of decades the genre defined itself as performance with revealing costumes for women, sexually suggestive dialogue and dance, quick-witted humor, and short showy routines with little or no plot line. By the 1930’s burlesque had evolved into strip tease and its eventual demise in its original form. In the 1990’s, a new generation, nostalgic for the old time performance of elaborate sets, colorful costumes, and raunchy humor, was reborn. Today there are burlesque troupes in numerous cities around the world, where performers travel the globe and attend annual burlesque conventions, like the Vancouver International Burlesque Festival.

Burlesque has its roots in Victorian England with the British Blondes who first appeared in the USA in the 1860’s. Performers would mock established entertainment such as Opera, ballet, and Shakespearean drama. Within a couple of decades the genre defined itself as performance with revealing costumes for women, sexually suggestive dialogue and dance, quick-witted humor, and short showy routines with little or no plot line. By the 1930’s burlesque had evolved into strip tease and its eventual demise in its original form. In the 1990’s, a new generation, nostalgic for the old time performance of elaborate sets, colorful costumes, and raunchy humor, was reborn. Today there are burlesque troupes in numerous cities around the world, where performers travel the globe and attend annual burlesque conventions, like the Vancouver International Burlesque Festival.