Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2005 17:19:46 +0000
From: Caroline Hunter <carohunter@hotmail.co.uk>
Subject: Drag in Hamburg Part 1

This story may be reposted/archived to FREE adult access provided my name
and this notice are included in the message text. This story is fictional
and any resemblance to actual persons or events is strictly unintended.

Copyright 2005 Caroline Hunter.  All Rights Reserved.


When I let college in the late seventies I went to live in Hamburg for a
couple of years. At the time I was in a long term relationship with a girl
back in Ireland and was keen to keep up with her despite the distance. It
survived for as few months - I went back to see her and she came over to see
me - but after that she lost interest, attracted I think by the a fellow
student back home. So I started looking around for company of my own.
Hamburg was a lively place in those days, with a great student nightlife and
the more racy scene around the Reeperbahn. I got to know a few people in the
Altona distgrict and started hanging around a bar which put on music shows.

One night I arrived at the bar to discover that the show on that night was a
travelling drag show. I went to the bar for a drink and was introduced by my
friend Otto the barman to the leader of the group, Renate, a tall, striking
40 something female impersonator wearing a long purple velevet dress and a
flamboyant red wig. She told me that Germany had a long tradition of drag
shows and her group were from Berlin, the heartland of drag shows. They had
started off in a Berlin night club which had closed down and were now on the
road, taking their show across the country. It was a precarious existence -
they travelled in a camper van which also doubled up as their dressing room
and could not always afford to find accomodation - but on this occasion they
were pleased to visit Hamburg becasue the Altona Bar found them accomodation
and made sure of a good income. Renate encouraged me to stay and watch the
show and to let her know afterwards what I thought of it.

I was honestly surprised that the show was on - I hadn't checked the list of
forthcoming attractions and had really just come for a drink - but I was
fascinated by the prospect of seeing a real German drag show. I had never
tried wearing women's clothes myself but I had had fantasies about doing so
when a young teenager. I watched with growing fascination as the show
unfolded - as well as Renate and her 40 something friend Ursula who did take
offs of German traditional favorites such as Marlene Dietrich and comedy
turns as German Bierhalle waitresses, there were two very attractive younger
female impersonators who played glamorous, more sensitive roles as dancers
and as nightclub stars. The highlight of the evening was their dance routine
to accompany a famous Charles Aznavour song about a transvestite, sung in
German, where the 2 younger girls transformed themselves from ugly ducklings
to swans, changing from male clothes to gorgeous dresses on stage.

Afterwards Renate came up to me with one of the younger girls, a redhead,
and asked what I thought. I told them I had been captivated and had
particularly enjoyed the younger girls' dance at the end. I chatted to the
redhead, called Heidi, for some time - she had changed into a daring mini
dress with her long legs encased in fishnet tights- and she told me how she
had come into the show as an 18 year old, what her ambitions were and how
much she enjoyed praise from admirers. Renate came back to speak to me and
encouraged me to come back the following evening early , to see the girls
being made up and to enjoy the show again. As I left to go homw I saw that
Heidi had started talking to a smartly dressed man who was sitting next to
her with his hand on her thigh. Heidi was smiling at him and was clearly
enjoying making his acquaintance.

The following evening I arrived at the bar bright and early to find Renate,
this time in trousers and a headscarf instead of her wig, in a panic. The
second younger girl, Beate, had broken her leg the night before when out
with a sailor after the show - she had tried to walk down the Fischmarkt
steps in high heels to get to his ship and had tripped over a drunk lying on
the ground. She was now in hostpital and would be out of action for some
months. Renate couldn't think how to mount the show without a partner for
Heidi. She started looking closely at me, at my face, my body, I wondered
what she was up to.

"Chris, mein junger freund"... she said, "I think you can help us!" I
realised what she was proposing and protested - how could I who had never
worn women's clothes  expect to substitute for the beautiful Beate? She told
me not to worry, I was about the same height and build as Beate (skinny to
be precise), was not at all hairy (I only had to shave every third day) and
with some help from the magic make up brush could look passable. Heidi would
take the leading roles, I had seen the show the previous night, all I had to
do was to follow Heidi and to smile. What did I have to lose she said - she
would even pay me a small sum! I was a bit short of cash since my student
grant hadn't come through so I agreed.

Renate led me through to the back, clapped her hands when she saw Ursula and
Heidi and said "Schaut mal meuine Freundinnen, dieser lieber Kerl wird Beate
versetzen!" Heidi smiled and took my hand. She took me through to the shared
changing room, told me to take my clothes off and gave me a tight pair of
knickers to wear. She then helped me into a cream coloured body suit which
shaped my waist and hips, and fastened a lacy cream bra on top into which
false breasts had been sewn. She then got me to sit down and helped me to
put on a pair of spangly tights. She then said I should put on a pink
negligee while waiting for Renate to come to do my make up.

I sat down at the mirror, feeling slightly incogruous but nonetheless
excited at wearing this sexy underwear below my obviously male face and
hairstyle. That was all to change as Beate worked her magic on me - first
the contours of the face appeared with foundation, powder and blusher, then
the eyes were transformed with bright coloured eyeshadow and dark mascara
and eyeliner, then the face was completed with bright red lipstick. Heidi
meantime had painted my fingernails red and had fitted earrings, bracelets
and a necklace. Last of all came the wig - a chestnut brown, shoulder
length, wavy wig. I was transformed into a magical creature - more angular
than the beautiful Beate but nonethless tall, striking and ready for the
show! All I had to do now was to take instructions from Heidi on how to
follow her on the various acts - Renate had simplified the dance steps, what
I really had to do was to stay behind Heidi and do some of the simpler
things that she did. I made a mess of the couple of rehearsals we managed
but Renate gave me a big hug and told me not to panic, all would be well.


The show itself went like a blur - when I first went out on stage behind
Heidi wearing a long dress and high heels I initially tripped over my dress
but Ursula showed me from the side how to hold it in one hand which gave me
more confidence. As the night went on I felt more and more the part and by
the Charles Aznavoour sketch was confident enough to appear without my wig
and to put it on on stage, demonstrating the transformation from an unhappy
boy to a fulfilled woman that was the key theme in the song. In no time all
4 of us were taking our bow, Renate asking for special applause for
Caroline, the Belgian girl who had replaced Beate at such short notice. I
remebered to curtsey and smiled at the wolfwhistles which came from the
crowd!

Back in the dressing room Heidi gave me a big hug and said that I was a
natural. Come with me through into the bar she said, handing me a short mini
skirt and blouse to wear. We both sashayed through to admiring looks and
took a seat on bar stools, crossing our long legs in front of admiring eyes.
Heidi had told me what a wonderful night she had had with Hans, the guy she
had been with the night before, and how he had been bringing a friend
tonight for Beate. Hans and his friend approached us both, introduced
themselves politely and ordered us champagne. The evening flew on in a wave
of femininity and before long I was dancing in the arms of Jurgen, Hans'
friend, who pressed up against me and whispered in my ear that he thought I
was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. As he led me off to a taxi to
take us to his hotel Renate whispered in my ear that she would see me the
next morning to sign me up as a replacement for Beate for the next three
months of the tour.......

To be continued