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In the 1933 film I’m No Angel, Mae West says, "When I’m good I’m very, very, good – and when I’m bad, I’m better.” This past Saturday night, Anne Marie Finnie, as Mae West, showed us just how very good she is at bringing Mae back to life.
The delightful evening at The Actor's Temple began with event organizer LindaAnn Loschiavo, author of the play, Courting Mae West: Sex, Censorship & Secrets,
welcoming the audience and providing a brief history of the neighborhood. She then introduced Miss Sophie Tucker (played by Maggie Worsdale). 
Miss Tucker was a member of, and headlined an annual benefit for The Actor's Temple at a Broadway theatre every year.
After delighting the audience with some funny songs and jokes, we got to meet the bawdy, flamboyant, and way ahead of her time Mae West. Ms. Finnie captured not only the look, with her flamboyant gown and signature platinum blonde hair and makeup, but also embodied the voice, mannerisms and spirit of the great Miss West, who died in 1980 at the age of 87.
Ms. Tucker was excellent as the "straight man" to Ms. West, providing the setup for many of the great Mae West lines, and jokes from her illustrious career on stage, screen and in the nightclubs and speakeasies of New York. The audience was treated to a variety of songs, duets and stories which all ended way too soon.
The party ended with a "Shimmy" contest (which thankfully I did not enter) 
and a raffle for 10 outstanding prizes such as a Parol designer shawl scarf with the words, "When I’m good I’m very, very, good – and when I’m bad, I’m better!" knitted into the 25x200cm scarf, and an A-MAE-ZING teddy bear dressed to the nines, as Mae herself 
always did.
Of course there was time allotted after the finale and the well-earned encore for people to pose for a keepsake photo with two of the original divas of the stage.
Sadly, this was a one-night-only celebration, but the ladies do perform together quite often.
For more information on future events check out http://www.thegaudygirls.com and http://www.maewest.blogspot.com
For complete info about the reviewer, please go to http://www.thekingofbroadway.com and you can also follow him on twitter/tkob
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