She’s Back! Miss Astrid Opens her Mystery Box
“Legendary deadpan dominatrix” emcee Miss Astrid – aka comedian Kate Valentine – has been tearing strips off unsuspecting audience members in over 1000 shows since 1997. After a number of years out of the spotlight, “focusing on other things and raising my excellent kids,” she’s back onstage next week in Miss Astrid’s Mystery Box a […]
Review: Gin House Burlesque (Underbelly Festival 2017)
London burlesque heavyweights Betsy Rose, Missy Fatale and Jolie Papillon have conjured immersive magic at The King’s Head members club with Gin House Burlesque, a heady evening of tease, tipples and prohibition chic. An adaptation – The Roaring Twenties Revue – has been brought to the Underbelly Spiegeltent to spice up the South Bank. […]
Lily Verlaine brings Erotic Ballet to Triple Door
Like many wild imaginings that have materialized into full scale performances, such as the annual Land of the Sweets and Through the Looking Glass: The Burlesque Alice in Wonderland, Lily Verlaine’s new work Giselle began, like so many of her endeavors, with the question: “What if?” What if the familiar characters of the classical ballet […]
Review: Le Bouge Neon (Underbelly Festival 2017)
Le Bouge Neon, a “disco drama” created by Moulin Rouge dancer Fallon Dee and comedian Chris Fitchew which claims to “celebrate women, art and tease”, is one of a pleasing number of burlesque and cabaret shows included at the Underbelly Festival this year, all taking place in the twinkling Spiegeltent. The success of the production’s […]
Sublime Boudoir: Burlesque Brilliance at Alder Manor
Burlesque star Betsy Rose reports on Sublime Boudoir at Alder Manor, which ran for two spectacular nights in New York in May 2017. To experience and be a part of Sublime Boudoir at Alder Manor was a treat beyond my wildest dreams. As I completed my journey from foggy London Town to Yonkers, New York, […]
PHOTOS: Dita and Cast Define The Art of the Teese
Dita Von Teese and her all star cast of burlesque greats are on the road again this summer with The Art of the Teese. In an interview with 21st Century Burlesque at the end of 2016, Dita called it “a glamorous but riotous two hours of show … with the biggest and most lavish production […]
Review: Stars and Strippers (Underbelly Festival 2017)
[wp-review id=”28184″] The Folly Mixtures put on quite a show last year in the London Wonderground Spiegeltent, performing to an adoring crowd of family, friends and fans. They, and the fanclub, are back this year at the newly renamed Underbelly Festival with their Stars and Strippers spectacular, celebrating all things American. The opening is […]
Review: Miss Viva Las Vegas 2017 (Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend)
I was delighted to attend the Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend at Easter for a second year. Audrey Deluxe curates a sensational Burlesque Showcase on Friday night, famed for its world class casts, with Dita Von Teese headlining this year’s three-show marathon. Burlesque Bingo, another of Audrey’s fabulous creations, ran throughout the Weekend. Saturday night […]
The Feral Feminism of Baby Got Back
The F-word has been front and center throughout the world and at the forefront of discussion within the burlesque community of late. With ‘Nasty Women’ and ‘Bad Feminists’ globally speaking out on important women’s issues, it has been amazing to see how the burlesque community has been combining political expression into our body of […]
The Stars of the Viva Las Vegas Burlesque Showcase 2017 (Photos)
The Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekender celebrated its 20th year over the Easter weekend, and they certainly pulled out all the stops for the hotly anticipated Burlesque Showcase. This year, burlesque events producer Audrey Deluxe and esteemed Viva boss Tom Ingram assembled a dazzling cast, including celebrated burlesque stars Kalani Kokonuts, Missy Lisa and Jeez […]
Sadie Sinner: Cocoa Butter Queen
“The Cocoa Butter Club gives a voice to The Other. We exist to promote the fact that performers of colour are creating in a multitude of mediums, and whilst our cabaret may not always look the same, please consider how artists draw on their past, present and futures and create work which reflects this.” After […]