"I really want to take this on the road," Dita Von Teese told me sometime before 2 a.m., and a couple of Champagne glasses after the curtain dropped and the confetti blasted on her ballyhooed return to Los Angeles--in this case, The Avalon in Hollywood. It's been nearly two years since the burlesque superstar played her hometown, and, from her crystal Louboutins to her silk tassel pasties, it was well worth the wait.
Before cramming into a corner booth at the theater's sexy throwback club Bardot with the night's headliner and her co-host, the riotous Murray Hill, who winged it from New York just for the occasion, Andy and I (with his sister Nicki and our pal Sheree Folkson, both in from the UK, in tow) were among friends and fans who sold out the place within days of the show's announcement. Next to us was nightlife icon Constance Cooper, comedian Margaret Cho, while Jewel and Perez Hilton chatted with friends nearby. The mad mix included Solange Knowles, Jared Leto and Wilmer Valderrama. Thankfully, We got to watch the spectacular spectacular from the balcony because, let's face it, even with an intermission, it would've been tough to stand through nine acts in my Westwood mules.DVT wowed us with a third of those performances, including the U.S. debut of "Le Bain Noir," a tux-and-bath number she premiered at Le Crazy Horse in Paris, and the world premiere of "The Opium Den." It was a finale in the grandest sense. Costumers Michael Schmidt and Catherine D'Lish collaborated on the breathtaking get-up, an Oriental fling drenched in Swarovksi crystals (see earlier post, a Q+A with Michael; her team is providing me pics of the act to share with you this weekend). Even her ode to the show's sponsor, the aptly titled "Be Cointreauversial," didn't make my head hurt with its naked spotlight on a cocktail and the logo. Not so the one too many lavender-infused drinks christened the Cointreau Teese. (Nothing a 3 a.m. quesadilla couldn't sort out.)

The program was a reunion of sorts with some of her long-time friends, including Ava Garter and Mayte, taking the stage, and taking it off, under all sorts of clever motifs. What an absolute hoot it was to watch the Lilliputian dynamo Selene Luna ride on to the stage gripping a mini, crystal-covered motorcycle between her legs. She always dazzled during the Velvet Hammer Burlesque days (and VH founders Michelle Carr and Annie Sperling, along with Selene's co-star Margaret Cho, were tickled to watch her again).
Also standouts were the Frenchie cabaret routines by members of L'effleur de Sens, an L.A. based troupe that can be ogled weekly at Hollywood's King King. We particularly enjoyed the tap number danced to a soundtrack of a woman in the throes of ecstasy. But best supporting role goes to Sutan Amrull, a.k.a. Raja. To Nina Simone, this lovely creature did the reverse, leaving the stage fully clad like some Golden Age of Hollywood goddess.
A too-brief clip of the evening has already been posted. But let's hope Dita sticks to her declaration and does take this show to a city near you. Nothing like catching her live and in the flesh.