Ooooh it was hot! Dubai. 47 degrees in the day, 40 at night! I’m now home and it’s done…90 shows as Mistress of Ceremonies in a Speigeltent shipped over to a Dubai shopping centre, 2 shows a day, 5 days a week. 17 degrees air-conditioned inside, 30 degrees in our dressing room.

The show was an interesting mix of a great illusion show performed by Van Buren & Co www.illusionshows.co.uk and me, backed by a cracking Arabic band. Audiences were a mix of Arabs from UAE/Saudi Arabia and ex-pats from around the world. Apart from opening with my birdcage act and close-up, my job was to introduce the acts, chat to everyone, (except the Arab men, that wasn’t encouraged..) and to generally be hostess of the evening. I had to add layers of lace to raise the neckline of my costume and abandoned my fishnets for some solid black trousers, very boring! Plus my usual rope escape where two male volunteers tie me up was vetoed on moral grounds!

Most of the Arab ladies in the audience wore the black ‘abaya’, covering everything except for the eyes. I discovered if I entertained their children first they were very friendly and twinkled. I also was very surprised to discover that I actually enjoyed entertaining the nippers, maybe kids there are less cynical than back home.

Our days started off late, waking about half noon, off to internet café for a bit to keep in touch, then to the theatre to practise for a couple of hours, first show at 6.30pm and then again at 9.30pm. At 11.30pm we were starving since we couldn’t eat before a show making 6 hours sans nosh. Supper at 1am and sleep at about 3 or 4am. Just a 5 minutes stint outside could sweat you into a puddle so we were inside-living beings for three months. You have no idea how I longed for a cool English breeze or the chance to go for a decent walk or rain! But it was a huge luxury performing daily in a beautiful theatre in conditions that are hard to find at home so I was truly counting my blessings.

And Dubai..? Hmmm, I’m not really a fan, it was more of a building site than ever and although there are beaches and lots of nightlife in cooler seasons, in summer it’s a city of air-conditioned shopping centres and … shopping centres. But one goes where the work is! I’m glad to say that the work this autumn and winter seems to be up and down England, a Moulin Rouge party in Jersey next week, Beachdown festival after that, the Blackpool switch on party in the Tower Ballroom and another Speigeltent in Rotherham (!!!) for a burlesque show amongst other fun gigs. After 11 weeks in the same place, zooming up and down the M1 seems a good alternative.

So I am extremely glad to be home, ready to tackle 3 months of the garden growing while I was away and really looking forward to enjoying British humour again and FISHNETS! Hoorah!!

See you on the road!

With sequins
Romany