Open Sesame

By: Hank Horne
(© 2018-2019 by the author)

The author retains all rights. No reproductions are allowed without the author's consent. Comments are appreciated at...

HHorne@tickiestories.us

Chapter 31

Thanksgiving evening, we inaugurated the Crystal Rainbow Club.  All our guests were given commemorative rainbow wristbands to identify them as charter members of the club.  Marcus Goldberg and Evan Tyner were waiting in the parking lot when the rest of us arrived.  The designers who had worked with us on decorating the apartments and all the other buildings arrived soon after.  Marcus and Evan hooked up with Myron Finkelstein, and Jim joined their group.  By 8:30, we had a very good showing for the premier performance on the stage. 

About 9:00, the lights in the main part of the club dimmed and two spotlights lit the side parts of the stage where two male couples stepped into the lights, dressed in black pants and shirts open to the waist.  The music began playing a tango, and the dancers performed a magnificent example of the Latin American dance.  At the end of that number, the music changed to a jazzy, show-stopping tap piece and another couple danced to the middle of the stage for an incredible tap routine.   When that performance ended, two more couples, in black tights and rainbow tank-tops, came on stage, performing The Hustle.  The audience showed their appreciation for the opening acts. 

When that ended, the full stage lights brightened, the DJ played the opening chorus number. Six dancers came on singing and Rockettes-style chorus-line dancing to “There’s No Business Like Show Business.”¹³ When the song finished, the emcee for the evening introduced the performers and welcomed the guests.  Dylan sat on the floor of the stage, legs hanging over the edge, interpreting for Greta and Robbie.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to The Crystal Rainbow.  I am Viktor and I’ll be your tour guide this evening.  This is a male review, similar to the infamous Chippendales.  Don’t worry, we’re not going that far – I said, ‘similar to.’  We’ve got more singing with our dancing and less stripping.  Sorry, ladies.  This will be PG-13 rated tonight.  If you expected R or X rating, you can get your money back as you leave.  Until then, enjoy the drinks and the show – on the house!”

Music starts, and Viktor begins singing, “Stout Hearted Men.” ¹⁴

Give me some men who are stout-hearted men,

Who will fight, for the right they adore,

Ten dancers come on stage, singing with Victor.

Start me with ten who are stout-hearted men,

Another twenty-five dancers/singers enter through all the doors, singing and mingling with the guests.  They pay particular attention to putting their arms around the ladies who are there, without ignoring the gay men.  But they left Cal, Howie, Jeff, and Robbie alone, although Robbie put his arm around the singer who stood next to him, so the man reciprocated.

And I'll soon give you ten thousand more.

Shoulder to shoulder and bolder and bolder,

They grow as they go to the fore.

Then there's nothing in the world can halt or mar a plan,

When stout-hearted men can stick together man to man.

The guests loved it and erupted in applause when it was over.  Greta and Robbie signed “Thank you” to Dylan, which he acknowledged with a big smile and a nod.

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you very much!” Victor used his best Elvis impression, even to swiveling his hips.  “Now you will be able to see all our dancers in performance here on stage as they give an abbreviated show, so we can introduce all fifty dancers.  Let them know if you appreciate their work.  And thank all of you for being here this evening.”

The rest of the evening had the dancers doing their ‘thing’ on stage, dancing, stripping their shirts and shorts off, down to their tie-dyed bikinis.  No thongs or G-strings on stage this weekend.  There was a lot of acrobatic performances, nearly all the dancers worked out on the brass pole in the middle of the stage. 

A bit about the stage:  It’s in four sections.  The back part is behind the proscenium and the rainbow curtain.  It can be used as part of the show or as a staging area for the dancers.  The walkway stretches from curtain past the pole and has a rounded tip at the front.  On either side is a round stage that can be raised or lowered as we want. 

After the show, one of the choreographers came up to me while I was talking with Jeff and Jennine.  I turned to him and commented, “Alvin, that is a great show.  Will you do it again tomorrow night?”

“Thank you, sir.  Yes, we will repeat the show tomorrow night, and want to add another number to it.  But we need some help.”

“What is that?” I asked.

We want to do “There’s Nothing Like a Dame,” and the guys insist I ask if this beautiful lady here would be willing to help us with it,” Alvin replied.

“You’ll have to ask her,” I responded.  “Jennine?”

“What do you want me to do,” she asked.

“When we get to the whistling segment, we would like two of our guys who will be beside you to help you up on the stage to flirt with the singers up there. I detect a French accent, so it should be easy enough – and we won’t ask you to do a can-can,” Alvin answered, chuckling at the end.  That got Jeff, Jennine and me laughing.  She glanced at Jeff and me; we both nodded, vigorously, so she said, “I’d love to!”  The people standing around us who were listening gave her a round of applause, which caused her to blush a bit.

“Thank you very much,” Alvin replied, beaming all over and kissing her hand.  “Rehearsal will not be necessary, and you can just be yourself.”  Then he left to tell the cast what to expect.

“Tomorrow is media day and night, so this will go over big with them,” I told Jennine and Jeff.  “It will allay some fears about this being a totally gay operation, because most of the guys are truly bi – some maybe even ‘gay-for-pay.’  So, this will be a tremendous boost.  Thank you, Jennine, Jeff.  I appreciate it more than I can say.”

“Hey, it will be fun, and we both will enjoy it.  She can be a ham at times, and you know how sexy she is anyway.  I’ll never forget the way she came onto you when you first arrived in Bagdad.  I thought you would die of embarrassment to begin with,” Jeff said.

“Hey, I was on a new assignment and didn’t know about the two of you being an ‘item.’”

“It was your initiation, and you’ve got to admit – you’re hot!  Even now!” she said.  “You’re still blushing.”  She leaned over and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

“Thank you, Jeannine,” I responded, humbled.

Those of us from the palace left about a half-hour later, while the others stayed until they wanted to leave.  The club closed at 3:00 a.m.

* * * * *

Friday morning, breakfast was ready for us at about 8:30.  Media day would start about 2:00 p.m. at the video production studio.  A dozen dancers from a couple of major dance studios in Atlanta were scheduled to arrive between 1:30 and 1:45 to show off the big studio which was set up as a ballroom in the eighteenth-century rococo style – gold trim, mirrors, fancy furniture.  The ladies could change into their fancy ball gowns in their dressing room, the men into their tails in their dressing room.   An ensemble from the Cobb Symphony would play for the dancers to perform a variety of dance styles appropriate to their attire.  Video cameras were mobile on pedestals in three corners, and a fourth camera was already installed in the ceiling, reminiscent of The June Taylor Dancers’ performances on The Jackie Gleason Show, countless years ago.  We would record today’s show to give our cameramen some practice.  A table with refreshments was at one end, with properly dressed attendants serving the guest dancers throughout the afternoon. 

The other two video studios were empty but had cameras in place.  The first videos Majid planned to shoot was a series at my request, recreating beautiful dance sequences from the old MGM musicals.  The audio recording studio had some of our musicians performing pieces they had recorded for the dancers at the club. 

The next area we visited was the greenhouse and garden location.  A walk through the greenhouses gave everyone an idea of how we could have year-round fresh, organic fruits and vegetables.  Then we came to the corporate offices, staff clubhouse, rehearsal hall and recreation areas.   After that, we moved on to the resort section.  The nine-hole par-three golf course around the building was looking very good, and several of our guys were playing on both sides of the driveway in sight of the visitors.  Hassan was at the front desk when we arrived and welcomed the group.  Then he took them to the atrium, through a couple of the rooms and on beyond the arc to a view of the river and beach we created leading to it.  When one turns back toward the arc shape of the building, the six floors with the rainbow stripes of each floor, red on to down to violet, are beautifully visible.

The last stop on the tour was the Crystal Rainbow Club and Diner.  The cast was going through a “rehearsal” of tonight’s show, deliberately timed for the tour.  The “house” lights were at about half brightness this time, whereas tonight they would be dark.  The stage lights were full brightness and the sound system was fully functional.  The cast was rehearsing the “Nothing Like a Dame” number.  One of the hostesses from the diner was standing in for Jennine.  When the number was over, a reporter asked me about women as audience.

“Anyone who would like to see a male review show is more than welcome to visit or become a member of the club,” I told her.  “There are no restrictions other than if you do not want to view male dancers performing on stage, then don’t join us.  Any women who want to become active members, are eligible to do so.  Our performers enjoy dancing for women as well as men.”

“I thought this was a gay club,” the reporter commented, her video camera rolling.

“We expect a large portion of our members will be gay, but that does not exclude straight males, bisexual males — omni-males, or females any more than one’s race will not exclude anyone for membership,” I responded.  “Our staff is made up of gay, bi, and maybe straight men who are — what you might call “gay-for-pay,” and they are from every continent on Earth.”

“What ethnic background predominates here?” she asked.

“Guys! What ethnic background predominates here?” I asked the performers.  {Silence} “Well?”  {Still silence} “They don’t know either.  Any other questions we might be able to answer?”

“Do you have any females on staff here?” she asked.

“Yes and no,” I replied.

“What do you mean by ‘yes and no?’”

“We have six hermaphrodites, but they prefer to be thought of as ‘young ladies.’  The one you saw being lifted onto the stage is one of the six.  Any more of you girls here?” I asked.  All six girls stepped forward, dressed in women’s clothes with make-up and hair perfect.  Each one of them is of a different ethnicity – African, Asian, Hispanic, Native American, Welsh, and Semitic.  “These are our ‘token females.’  Next question?”  {Silence still} The cast broke into applause.

“I know most of the media from the Atlanta region, but I don’t know these gentlemen who have accompanied us.  Who are they?” Ms. Foxy News asked.

“They are my guests for the weekend, and I’ve included them in this tour,” I replied.

“Are they gay?”

“You know, I’ve never asked them that question, and I really don’t consider it anybody’s damn business, but theirs.”

“Are they with a foreign news organization?  I’ve noticed some foreign accents,” she pressed.

“Not that I know of.  I have traveled all over the world, and have made friends in every country I’ve been in.  So, the fact that I’ve invited foreign friends to be here this weekend, is totally immaterial to anything.  I have family and friends from Maryland visiting in my home, none of whom is gay, some are married, some are single.  My sister and her fiancé – with one ‘e’ – are here, six of my dad and mom’s best friends are here for the weekend.  In fact, four of them arrived while I was showing you around and was not able to greet them when they got here.

“Shall we continue the tour?  The diner is upstairs.”  I turned and led them up the stairs.  Two of the ‘girls’ had preceded us and were at their station to welcome us.  I gave them a wink, smiled as we approached and mouthed ‘Thank you’ to them.  They beamed big time.

“As you can see, the diners will be treated to the show on the stage,” I continued.  “The tables are arranged for full viewing.  Seating is on three sides of the building.  The far side can be used as a private dining room for birthday parties and the like.  Guests can also see through the windows into the kitchen and watch the food being prepared.  Service stations for the servers are at either end of the kitchen.”

“Will you hire any females as servers?” Ms. Mouthy asked.

 “Our ‘girls’ are flexible in their duties, as are all our staff,” I replied.  “They have completed training at some of the best culinary and hospitality schools in the world. (pause) Shall we go back downstairs since this concludes the tour.” 

When we got back outside, Maji joined us.  I asked the group, “Does anyone else have any pertinent questions?”  Elliott Mackle identified himself as a founder of the Emory University GALA organization, and he had some excellent questions which dealt with membership requirements, corporation funding, drinking restrictions, and nudity, which is permitted in some Atlanta bars. 

“There are strict regulations and our dancers are fully licensed as ‘adult entertainers.’  Eventually, they may be ‘all male-all nude.’  The law is very specific about drinking age,” I said.  “For the moment, guests will be stamped on the hand with a code for those under the age of twenty-one.  Under eighteen will not be admitted – period.  We are planning to have an ID card which is also a charge card for our members and bill them monthly.  There are three attorneys who advise us every step of the way to ensure we are in full compliance with local, state and federal laws.  We have a sanitation advisor who checks us monthly to make sure our kitchens and other facilities maintain the highest standards possible.  Our kitchen staff has taken the sanitation training, so they know the requirements.” 

I paused, looked around, but there seemed to be no one raising a hand.  “Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen, for being here this afternoon.  If any of you would like to return for the show tonight or tomorrow night, please get a pass from Mr. Jonas.  He’s the hunk in the teal shirt.”  {Some chuckles as Scotty turned red.}  

“Elliott, may I speak with you a moment? 

The persistent reporter started talking with some of the architects as the bankers gathered into a group of their own to chat.  Several of the media people got passes from Scotty, and I spent some time chatting with them.  I walked over to the architects’ group, interrupting the reporter.

“Guys, what are your thoughts on how this project turned out, from your perspective?”  I was thinking, ‘Give her some different material to use or ignore.’

“Kago, since you oversaw the layout of the property, how would you say the end results meets the expectations we were aiming for?”

“The part that impressed me the most was having eleven construction teams working fourteen to fifteen hours a day to accomplish the job in a third of the time it might have otherwise.  They coordinated perfectly.”

“Eleven construction teams?” Ms. Reporter asked.

“Yes, eleven,” Kago replied.  “Two for each building project.  The morning team would work from six in the morning until two in the afternoon, and the evening team would take over then and work until eight at night.  With your Daylight-Saving Time, we could get twice the work done each day.”

“That’s incredible!  How did you think to do that?” she asked.

“That was Grant’s original plan to move everything along faster.  In the long run, it probably saved at least six million dollars on the total project,” he said.

“Oh,” she said.  “Well, very good.  Can I get a pass to come back tomorrow night?”

“Scott, this lady would like a couple of passes.  She wants to see our guys in their full glory.   Scott works with the dancers on their gymnastic routines to give their shows more pizzazz.  Here are two passes, for you and a friend.  I think you will enjoy it.  Thank you for coming.”  ‘Bring your girlfriend, Lezzie!’ I thought.

 To be continued...

¹³  "There's No Business Like Show Business"

Songwriters: IRVING BERLIN

© IMAGEM MUSIC INC

¹⁴ ”Stout-Hearted Men”

From "New Moon"

(Sigmund Romberg / Frank Mandel /

Laurence Schwab / Oscar Hammerstein II)

Posted: 02/01/19