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Burlesque Performers Accuse Box Owners of Harassment
By
John Del Signore
Published Sep 10, 2008
Modified Sep 10, 2008
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By
John Del Signore
Published Sep 10, 2008
Modified Sep 10, 2008
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Scandal has once again ensnared The Box, that decadent burlesque nightclub where the elite gather to enjoy diversions like ''toss a ring on rods stuck up the lady’s orifices." Yesterday self-described "fetish-burlesque" performers Amber and Heather Langley, a.k.a. the Porcelain Twinz (pictured), posted a long, 5,085 word jeremiad on their MySpace blog condemning club owner Simon Hammerstein for sexual harassment, unsafe working conditions, debauched drug use, and leaving his Labrador behind to defecate "all over" the filthy, rat-infested green room. (He allegedly blamed that one on one of the performers.)
The Twinz, whose most celebrated routine is called "Twincest," have quit working there and say the entire tech crew joined them in resigning in July. Their allegations are pretty sordid, and include:
- "Simon Hammerstein regularly slaps the girls so hard on the buttocks, that it leaves handprint welts for at least two days before leaving a bruise."
- "The things that go on in the club are just as appalling. Hired staff prostitutes, in house drug dealing, open drug use throughout the club, open pot smoking and cocaine use, cigarette smoking, etc."
- "On the night of November 6th 2007, Simon Hammerstein would abuse his power and we would be forced to have sex with him so that we could remain living in New York City."
The description of the sex scene is quite graphic, and makes clear they weren't physically "forced" but felt coerced by their powerful, uncircumcised employer. (In whose loft they'd been renting a room.) They say they plan to file a lawsuit, and they're currently "under the supervised care of our naturopathic doctor with weekly visits as she monitors our health because our bodies are in such a state of over-exhaustion." [Via Grub Street]
Tagged
harassment
lawsuit
myspace
performers
simon hammerstein
sued
the box
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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