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Sweetie

Offers something silly or saucy to break the ice

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COURTESY OF MELISSA WADSWORTH

Sweetie is the type of gal who might sidle up to you at a party and, depending on her mood, either feed you fancy chocolates or try to steal your jewelry. By Seattle standards, the girl really has no manners.

Maybe you've met Sweetie (or at least eyed her curiously from a safe distance). That was her coquettishly flirting with your date at that arts benefit. Or innocently standing on her hands, petticoats and bloomers be damned, at that one guy's retirement party. You shall know her by her rhinestone cat-eye glasses and feather plume in her hair.

Sweetie wants to be invited to your holiday party, charity auction or traveling Czechoslovakian feast. In return, she endeavors to make your guests chuckle and talk about things other than the weather.

Since Sweetie can be at times rather shy, we settled for an interview with Patricia Duff, the woman who created her.

Q: What qualifies you to rent yourself out as entertainment for parties?

A: I was an actress in Chicago for 10 years; I studied dance and theater in college. Basically, I act as a kind of buffer to break the ice, to get the party started. I'm on the other side of that fourth wall. I can get away with doing things like polishing people's shoes or playing with a gentleman's tie, which I would never do (while not in character). It takes a lot of pressure off of the host or hostess.

Q: Given Seattle's well-documented social, uh, reserve, does that type of behavior really go over well here?

A: People are open to it. They're a little bit shy at first — the demeanor is, they're leaning back. I'm from the East Coast. If I were doing this in New York City, it would be a whole different feel. Seattleites appreciate it in their own quiet way; they appreciate that it's something new. I think people who live in the city are used to things like Bumbershoot and the International Film Festival. In Snohomish, it might be a different story.

Q: You do characters other than Sweetie. Who are they?

A: I do a character called Mambo Mama. She's very sexy; she's all about her body and her big butt. (I sew two pillows together. My kids like it because it has a crack down the middle.) Mama does this routine to Rosemary Clooney's "Mambo Italiano." She comes on to people. I like to find a contrast with the characters. Sweetie is more demure. She's an innocent; she's looking for love. I've also been watching a lot of Charlie Chaplin movies because there's this boy character I want to create.

A: I see a real transition happening in Seattle with the advent of Teatro ZinZanni, the UMO Ensemble out of Vashon Island and the Moisture Festival in Fremont. It has opened people up to this European cabaret-style of clowning.

To check out Sweetie's repertoire, see www.sweetduffproductions.com.