​Send the gift of laughs (or love) this Valentine’s Day

It’s official: Valentine’s Day is just around the corner (or Singles Awareness Day for those of us not in a relationship). For some, that means a romantic night out having a nice dinner with their significant other, and to other more jaded people it’s an attempt to try to commercialize one of the most basic of human emotions.

At the intersection of the romantic and the ridiculous is where Aimee Klein comes in with her Valentine’s singing telegrams. Leading up to Valentine’s Day, she’s willing to offer her services as some rather unorthodox entertainment for your valentine.

If you’ve followed the High Plains Reader for a while, you may remember Aimee Klein as the accordion-playing Fargoan who ran off with the Zoppe Family Circus. She has a talent for comedy and music, and both come into play with the singing telegrams. And yes, so does the accordion. She started performing singing telegrams last year. “I thought, ‘Why not?’” Aimee said. She has created three unhinged characters for the entertainment, and people who hire her to visit their valentine can choose to have her play as one or all of the characters, as she keeps the costume changes fairly simple, often just wearing one under the other.

First off, there’s Francine, a former movie star of the silent film era, now washed up and looking for work. Though life’s hard knocks have left her a bit more cynical, she is still a romantic at heart, passing along such sage lover’s advice as, “Men are attracted to the scent of dirty ashtrays.” She is a chain smoker, has whiskey breath, and is quite a hand at the accordion (see, I said the accordion comes into play). “She’s definitely got a bit of Joan Crawford in her,” said Aimee.

Then there’s Elmer, the stripper grandpa. Yes, you read that correctly. Elmer is a Depends-wearing narcoleptic who loves to dance. His favorite kind of music is a fusion of disco and polka. After getting things started with some dancing he commences a striptease, but don’t worry. “It’s not the kind of striptease you’re used to,” Aimee said, “He tires out quickly. It’s very PG-rated.” I can assure you that is one of the few times you will hear ‘PG-rated’ and ‘striptease’ in the same sentence. Fortunately, Elmer’s narcolepsy gets the better of him and he falls asleep before he can ever get to the goods.

Lastly, there’s Natasha Vodkavitch, a Soviet-era starlet and former TV host of KGB TV. This good-natured and excitable devotchka sports a fur cap and loves to play the accordion. She is also bound and determined to teach her fellow comrades about the ways of love and to relate the stories of her seven past lovers, as well as to comment on the length of her beard. One of the secrets to winning over a man, according to Natasha, is to grow out that beard, so ladies out there with bare chins may want to get to work if they are going to be as successful at romance as Natasha.

Though some of this may sound a bit lewd, Aimee is great at reading her audience and is able to adapt her performances and musical numbers based on the environment she is performing in; and what would be appropriate for those who are worried about sending one of these telegrams to a loved one during work hours. “I try not to be obnoxious, make them laugh, and be entertaining,” she said. She has yet to have any trouble with these performances. In fact, they always go over spectacularly. If things keep going as well as they have with her Valentine’s Day performances, she is hoping to branch out to other times of the year as well.

Aimee is available anywhere and anytime between the 11th and the 14th to perform her singing telegrams, but she would prefer to keep proceedings in the Fargo-Moorhead area. It costs $75 for 15-20 minutes of entertainment, but she is willing to barter. She does encourage you to give her information about the person she is visiting and where your valentine is working if the telegram is going to happen during work hours, so she can tailor the performance to each person and make sure she doesn’t have any issues getting to where she is supposed to go.

You can contact her at 701-429-8703. So if you’re looking for something a bit unorthodox this Valentine’s Day instead of the usual ho-hum, your love is sure to be entertained by this.

YOU SHOULD KNOW: 

Singing Telegrams available between February 11th-14th

Call Aimee Klein, 701-429-8703