Lovely Things 2: Karen Abbot's 'One night at a speakeasy...'

Karen Abbot is a biographer and historical novelist who has most recently written a book on Gypsy Rose Lee. Probably one of the most well-known burlesque dancers, Gypsy was known for her educated and eloquent demeanor as well as her striptease.  I've posted about Gypsy before, and mentioned American Rose (Abbot's biography), but I haven't yet read it.  If it's anything like the writing Abbot posts on her website, though, I'm sure it's really interesting.
In preparation of our upcoming event (hint hint nudge nudge), I've been revisiting a piece Abbot wrote about Gypsy's relationship with gangster Waxey Gordon.  I've always found speakeasies to be fascinating and completely compelling, so I was especially drawn to this story.

I tried watching Boardwalk Empire, HBO's show that takes place during prohibition in Atlantic City, but unfortunately wasn't a fan of Scorsese's directing and only made it through the first few episodes.

a screen-shot from the casino on HBO's set

It's beautifully done though, so I may need to give it another shot. In the meantime I suppose I'll just stick to the history...

...or I could just have a speakeasy of my own.

I highly recommend reading Abbot's article.  It's short, exciting, and a great temptation.  You can find it on her website here.