Harlettes

Bette Midler's stage act grew out of her early 1970s performances at the Continental Baths, a gay bathhouse in Manhattan which offered entertainment on the weekends.

[1] Inspired in part by the Theatre of the Ridiculous,[2][3] Midler's stage show evolved into a bawdy and flamboyant mixture of stand-up comedy, vaudeville and burlesque.

"[1] With the assistance of Barry Manilow — at the time working as a pianist at the Continental Baths — Midler enlisted her first trio of backup singers, including Melissa Manchester.

In a 1973 Rolling Stone review of one of her shows, writer Ed McCormack stated: "Watching Bette and the girls work out, the raw awkward sexual energy of it all makes you think of Tina Turner.

"[6] During a single performance, Midler and the Harlettes would sing everything from midcentury radio tunes and standards such as "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy", "Big Noise From Winnetka", "I Only Have Eyes for You" and "Lullaby of Broadway", to early girl group pop songs such as "Leader of the Pack", "Chapel of Love", and "Da Doo Ron Ron", all while changing in and out of costumes as varied as pink waitress uniforms, sequined gowns and mermaid tails.