Brad Puddin' takes it off and takes centre stage at A Night of Puddin

21 May 2019

"As the title suggests, it is literally a night of all things Brad Puddin’," says burlesque phenomenon Brad Puddin' describing A Night of Puddin. "Brad Puddin’ on the walls, Brad Puddin’s Mad Hatter costume, pudding cup sculptures with tassels by Tyson Coady Makes, a pudding-like drink upon entry by Hot Shot Chocolate, Puddin’ on the stage . . . it’s all about me in one way or another."

Puddin' expands, "It's a showcase of a photo shoot I did with Ty Sloane aka Tygr Willy. It is a photo gallery, burlesque show, art show, party all mixed together." All about Puddin' but he is not doing it alone. "Tygr is doing two acts inspired by two of the photos being showcased and wearing some of the garments in those photos. Dainty Smith and Bodacious Velvet are both doing acts that I would describe as decadent, like I am. I will be hosting and closing the show, and with my act . . . lets just say you’re gonna get a whole lot of fuzzy peach puddin'."

Puddin' gets serious, briefly, "It’s sort of a new phase of Brad Puddin’ as I learn, grow, and expand as an artist. Why not showcase myself in different ways? In photos? On stage? In actual pudding? It is also an exercise of self-love. Although my burlesque career took off quite quickly and I’ve received many fantastic opportunities this past year and a half, it wasn’t until the beginning of 2019 where I began looking at myself in a newer light where I can say, 'Yes, I deserve this. Yes, I am worthy. Yes, I am sexy.' It’s definitely a new chapter for Brad Puddin’."

We last talked to Puddin' before his appearance in High Society's Portrait of a Scandal. Since then Puddin' was first runner up and received the Legends Choice award when competing in the Edmonton Burlesque Festival's Bunny Competition. "That was a big game changer," he says, "because the way I viewed myself didn’t match how people perceived me. So I had to begin learning how to forgive my flaws, but also how to celebrate my abilities as well." 

Most recently Puddin' was part of the Fierce Queer Burlesque Festival. "The Fierce Festival will always be way more of a Pride to me than how many of the Prides have become," he says. "To have that many different queer bodies in one space so unapologetically with so much love, support, understanding, and openness . . .  There are very few events that can provide that sort of holistic experience. And every single Canadian performer - Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal - absolutely slayed it both on stage with our acts, and off stage with our thematic outfits. Each night was a different theme, and we showed up to each one on point!"

On point and heat generating. "We all had to leave the theatre before the second act on Saturday night because of a fire alarm going off. Let me tell you, the firefighters had no idea what was going on when they drove up to the theatre with almost 100 queers clad in leather, leopard, and kink wear cheering them on. Then getting to do a huge photoshoot in front of the fire trucks, you can’t get that sort of experience anywhere else."

Guaranteeing that A Night of Puddin will be as hot is "Tygr Willy. I met them when we both did James and the Giant Pasty’s Boylesque 101 class in January 2018. They are also co-producing the event having been the photographer of the photoshoot, the graphic designer, and more. I legitimately would not be able to do this Night of Puddin without them. The only dish I have on Tygr is that they can definitely get as messy and delicious as I can, and that’s saying something."

And Bodacious Velvet: "Bodacious actually inspired the event to happen. We met through Bon Bon Bombay when Bodacious was taking her burlesque 101 course. I was telling her about the photoshoot with Ty/Tygr, and she was so into it that she said, 'I want to see these photos up in a gallery somewhere.' I said, 'Okay then! I’m going to do it! Without that first spark, there would probably be no Night of Puddin.'"

And Dainty Smith: "Dainty teaches a burlesque course out of the 519 called Body Love with Ravyn Wngz. I have to give both of them so much credit for helping me discover quite a bit of love for myself. It really has been a tough battle in believing in my abilities and I honestly don’t think without Dainty and Ravyn, I would be here putting up an event that is so focused on me."

To maintain that focus, Puddin' will be displaying his Mad Hatter act costume. "It's my favourite act to date," he says. "It is always such fun to perform and it is the first act that I’ve ever created so it holds a special place in my heart." But there will be a new act debuted. "It’s a reverse tease act called 'Notice' so you’re gonna see a lot of Puddin’ right from the beginning.  

A Night of Puddin is taking over the east end burlesque hub Chez Bon Bon. "You can see Chez Bon Bon in The Umbrella Academy on Netflix," says Puddin'. "It’s the yellow building with the old TVs in the window. The photoshoot took place in Bon Bon Bombay's house above the studio and so having the show in her studio space only made the most sense. I am a frequent collaborator and conspirer with the whimsical entity that is Bon Bon Bombay. It was such an instant bond that within 20 minutes of conversation we had decided to do a duet together. A duet where we do many fun things with food and a giant cake."

No cake, just lots of pudding, at A Night of Puddin and it needs to be noted that libations are the audience's responsibility. "Since this event is not selling or serving any at all, we decided to make it BYOB," says Puddin'. "Once the show is done, the entire space ceases to be an event and becomes a private party celebrating the evening. We have Imogen Quest as our kitten and DJ. Imogen is part of Clowns Kill Empires with Pickles Levay and so there's always a clown sensibility to their vibe."

Puddin's leather clown character may not make it to A Night of Puddin but that is because Puddin' is always evolving. "Since Portrait, I have learned how to love myself better, how to be more patient with myself, and how to start refining my work," he says. "You never stop learning and I‘m definitely beginning to understand more strongly who I am as an artist and what I value as an artist, such as my community. Lifewise, it is all still a lot of joyful chaos. I’ve had to say 'no' to a few things, which is very new for me because I want to do all the things. Less clothes, and overall more Puddin’."