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With their billowing gowns, bustles and jewelled tiaras, princesses have come to embody a sort of ultra-femininity that Western culture reserves for little girls and brides. In the burlesque world, however, we create our own opportunities for sartorial extravagance. In Seattle, Stripped Screw Burlesque’s latest production of Disney After Dark, now in its fifth year, […]
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Every spring, celebrated producer Paula Sjunneson (of paulanowevent, formerly The Swedish Housewife Presents) brings some legendary magic to the Triple Door in Seattle. Her burlesque-cum-rock-opera, House of Thee Unholy, is “a Tolkienian acid trip” that paints a dripping, sexy portrait of the 1970s, all set to a soundtrack of Led Zeppelin, which is played live […]
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Lola The Vamp tells a heartwarming tale from the Australian outback… Betoota, Diamantina Shire, in the Channel Country of Central Western Queensland, Australia. Population 0. The last living resident passed away ten years ago. Sigmund (Simon) Remienko bought The Betoota Hotel in 1957 and closed it due to ill health in 1997, a handful of […]
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On Monday a bejewelled, flamboyant horde of stars from the London cabaret scene invaded the luxurious Cafe de Paris for a night of awards, roasts, song and striptease. Miss Polly Rae saw off fellow shortlisted nominees The Folly Mixtures and BRIEFS to win ‘Best Burlesque’. For some time now she has set a excellent example […]
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An evening spent in the warm, luxurious belly of Cafe de Paris is one of the most enjoyable ways to spend a night in London. I have praised the VIP dining experience in the past, but last Saturday I was equally comfortable seated on the balcony level, attended by extremely pleasant staff and enjoying a […]
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Burlesque noir at its best, Pretty Haute Machine: A Burlesque Tribute to Nine Inch Nails was a gripping, if intense, tour through a songbook characterised by sex, anger, and isolation. The show was presented by Closer to Broads, the production company of neo-burlesquers Iva Handfull, Lady Drew Blood and Seraphina Fiero. PHM is not the […]
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This year’s Christmas offering from the Looking Glass Productions arm of Black Cat Cabaret is Palace of the Snow Queen, which promises to deliver “…gourmet winter fayre, beautiful decor, and spectacular cabaret and circus entertainment.” Usually dinner is served as part of the experience, but Saturday 6th December is a cabaret only evening at £25 […]
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Relive the unique spectacle of Theatre Bizarre 2014 – starring Roxi D’Lite, Dirty Martini, Angie Pontani, Julie Atlas Muz and Russell Bruner – through the eyes of flamboyant burlesque photographer Neil Kendall… When my burlesque pal Roxi D’Lite and I had an post-party chinwag last summer at the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend in Vegas, […]
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The Atomic Bombshells in CAKE! A Decade of Decadent Dazzle, by Crystal Tassels. Seattle burlesque mainstays The Atomic Bombshells celebrated their tenth anniversary last weekend. Hosted by the ever-so-chipper BenDeLaCreme of RuPaul’s Drag Race fame, CAKE! A Decade of Decadent Dazzle was a glitzy delight. In addition to the Bombshells themselves, the troupe invited superstars […]
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In October, a violent incident involving iconic Soho venue Madame Jojo’s, a celebrated performance space for several decades and home to productions including House of Burlesque, The Folly Mixtures Revue and Cabaret Roulette, led to action by Westminster Council which has been condemned as “draconian” – the complete and brutally swift suspension of its licence […]
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As the cast readies for the year’s final performance of Barbarellesque (at Baltimore’s Creative Alliance on November 22nd), Kay Sera, co-producer and one of the show’s Barbarellas, talks about creating “an ecdysiast theatrical experience.” Why Barbarella? Barbarella, the 1968 sci-fi camp classic starring Jane Fonda, was ridiculed and reviled in its day. But it’s now […]