Q&A: 'Doom-Wop' Singer Prom Queen Talks About Her Work on the Original Score for the Can Can's 'Femme Fatale'

A major factor in the success of Femme Fatale, the Can Can’s current dinner cabaret, are the sultry, moody original songs by Celene Ramadan, aka Prom Queen. This dance/burlesque revue is loosely based on the life and myth of Dutch WWI spy Mata Hari (1876–1917), whose name has become emblematic of the power of feminine sexual allure. It’s all tied together by the music; hints of industrial, ambient, tango and Bangles-adjacent ’80s pop waft through the Can Can’s scarlet-walled, 60-seat performance space, yet even with all these stylistic allusions Ramadan’s songs provide a unique and consistent sound. Also, the artist herself stands in for the seductress, the “fatal woman” of the show’s title and the planet around which two male (Jonny Boy and Jordan) and two female (Shadou and JJ Jones) dancers erotically revolve. We asked Ramadan to tell us about her contributions and inspirations:

How did you get involved with the Can Can and this project?

I’ve been a friend and collaborator to the Can Can family for many, many years. In fact, the very first Prom Queen album release took place there—back when it was a solo act probably eight years ago. Over the years I’ve performed on that stage in various incarnations; shot a music video there; I had a brief stint as the talent buyer when they were still booking bands; and I’ve also been an avid fan and regular at their shows in the past decade, watching them evolve and always being in awe of their use of the small space and their steady stream of incredible talent! The Can Can has always been a source of inspiration and a home to me.

I actually left Seattle and moved to L.A. in January. Chris and Fae [Chris Pink and Fae Phaelen Pink, the Can Can’s owners and, respectively, writer and choreographer] came down there in February to celebrate their wedding anniversary and the conversation began over drinks and dancing about how they want to move more towards original music for their productions. They had tried it with Romeo & Juliet and really enjoyed the element it brought to the show. I jumped at the chance to let them know that I would love to someday be involved in writing music for a show of theirs. I first thought it would be a long-distance project, but as our conversations progressed, a different idea took shape of having me come back and star in the show. What a cool opportunity and what an exciting reason to come back to Seattle for the summer! So I packed up my Smart Car and drove right on back!

What was the development process like for the show? Did your songs drive the organization of the show, or were they written to fit a plan decided on first?

The process was unlike anything I’ve ever done for my own songs. I had snippets of Mata Hari’s story—an outline and some story points that they had somewhat of a vision for. I had a playlist of songs, too, but that didn’t end up coming into play all that much. When it came down to actually writing the material, the most helpful material I drew from was the few quotes I found of hers and also being in kind of a place in my life where I can relate to a few parts of her story and drawing that out of myself. I didn’t know what I was going to write! But I ended up being in love with the first few songs that came, and to my delight Chris and Dave [Pezzner, the Can Can’s other co-writer] loved them, too! The process of working with those two was so affirming and wonderful—we really had a blast in the studio and I think we each brought such complimentary skills to the table. As a songwriter, it was the best gift to be teamed up with such open-minded, open-hearted, and hard-working collaborators.

Also, I was very impressed by your music’s versatility—all kinds of styles and genres with a very distinct and personal flavor. Can you speak about that at all—your approach to writing theatrical music of such diversity?

I can attribute much of that diversity to Chris and Dave’s production skills! Dave laid down some of the instrumentals and we built songs from there. He is a master of of culling elements from all over and architecting songs as well as cool tricks like vocal chops [layered, synthetic vocals] and the like—stuff I’ve never done but I adore. Super-cool. And Chris has an amazing ear and a keen sense of the Can Can audience, so he kept things moving in getting things ready for that crowd—so it would hit in all the right ways.

The last thing I will state is just that I’ve become an even bigger fan of the Can Can after going through this process with them. Not only did I feel full support to let my creativity blossom during this production, but I’ve seen first-hand the hard work of this whole team. The long hours put in by Shadou and Jonny to get sets and costumes together; the hard work of Fae in imagining the choreography; the million-and-one things Chris is doing in and around our studio sessions to oversee both Can Can and Fred Wildlife Refuge; the grueling schedule for the dancers to dance on the smallest stage and doing kinda death-defying things while smiling and making it look effortless and sexy—and then also backstage during quick-changes they are opening and closing the curtain and moving big set pieces while they are careening around the waitstaff—and the waitstaff is careening around the performers with beautiful desserts and things—it’s a mad, tight scene back there, but it’s all done with such grace, finesse, love, and smiles. What a wonderful place to be! I feel stupid lucky. I’m filled with gratitude and I am having a blast!