Though it’s only been in existence for less than two years, Gotham Burlesque has been taking the Big Apple by storm. It’s made Time Out New York‘s Top 5 Nightlife Picks at least seven times, has been featured in the New York Times and Broadway World and regularly features some of the top names in the international burlesque scene. The NY Daily News even called it “Wonderfully theatrical…sometimes to the point of insanity.”

Gotham Burlesque was founded by award-winning filmmaker, artist and producer Gary Beeber in March of 2011. His intersest in live burlesque began when he featured live burlesque performers as part of the screenings for his 2010 film “Dirty Martini and the New Burlesque.”

“We did screenings all over the country and I enjoyed producing the live shows that were included with the screenings. I thought that it would be nice to do burlesque shows without the screenings, but I wanted to do something classy at an upscale venue.”

Beeber brought the show to the Triad Theatre in New York’s Upper West Side. The Triad is one of the few remaining off-broadway theatres and has been home to some of the longest running off-broadway shows. The theatre provided the perfect venue for Beeber to bring back the experience of Vaudeville to modern audiences and to challenge audience expectations of a contemporary burlesque show.

Here’s the original promotional video for Gotham Burlesque’s debut peformance back in March of 2011:

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