Brown Paper Tickets uses cookies to provide the best experience on our website. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy

Cookie Settings

Tuesday Tease: Mardi Gras with a Side of Southern Fried Burlesque

20140131223844-1669879_283701681793257_1260797718_oIs it that time again? Can you believe that Fat Tuesday is just a week away? Things have been raging in New Orleans since the 15th but in the rest of the country, this is the week for Mardi Gras madness.

This week I thought I’d highlight some Mardi Gras events happening both north and south of the Mason Dixie line. I also wanted to feature some great burlesque events happening in the South itself, the American home of the Mardi Gras. We all know that Southerners know how to party and this week you can be sure they’ll be strutting their stuff.

If you’re in the North, party like you’re in the South. If you’re in the South, just do what you do and show that Southern pride.

Friday, February 28 to Wednesday, March 26 I The Mason Dixie Burlesque TourVarious Cities  The Mason Dixie Burlesque Tour brings you the hottest vixens from both sides of the Mason-Dixon! In the spring of 2014, these four award-winning ladies will be crossin’ state lines, eight pasties at a time!​ Starring: Deanna Danger (Richmond, Virginia), Üla Überbusen (New York City), Porcelain (Raleigh, North Carolina) and Hazel Honeysuckle (New York City)​. Co-producers Deanna Danger and Üla Überbusen bring you a show that’s got class, sass and a whole lotta ass!

Shows being ticketed by Brown Paper Tickets are Washington D.C.; Charleston, West Virginia; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; St. Louis, Missouri; Wichita, Kansas; Gainesville, Florida and Orlando, Florida.

Also, check out this great interview we did with Deanna Danger last year on the Tuesday Tease too! She offers some great advise for touring burlesque performers.


Read More…

Arts >

Tuesday Tease Scene Report: Portland!

A couple weekends ago, I had the pleasure of hitting I-5 South for a visit to Seattle’s southern neighbour Portland, Oregon. My intention was to check out the burlesque scene, see a few shows, meet with a couple folks and enjoy the funky vibe of the Rose City. I’ve always loved Portland. It’s a beautiful city that has done a great job of keeping a down-home feel despite massive growth. The music culture’s great, the food culture is incredible and, as I found out on my trip, the burlesque scene is thriving.

I got to town on a beautiful, sunny Friday afternoon. After a wonderful feast of oysters and clams within the vintage, nautically-themed confines of Dan and Louis’ Oyster Bar and Spanish Coffees at Huber’s, my friends and I headed over the Crush Bar, a nondescript bar in the Belmont area of Southeast Portland.

I was anxious to check out their monthly burlesque revue Burlesque S’il Vous Plait which is produced and hosted by the incomparable Zora Phoenix. Zora had us all rolling in our seats with her incredible musical bits and off-color humor, reminding my friends and I of a raunchy, drag version of Vicki Lawrence. Portland burlesque fans know Zora well. She won Willamette Week‘s 2011 “Best of Portland” award and hosts two other monthly burlesque revues, the Phoenix Variety Revue and Burlescape. Zora was definitely the glue that held this show together, as she introduced performances by Brown Paper Ticket’s producer and performer Miss Kennedy, who did an amazing Frida Kahlo-inspired routine, Zora Von Pavonine, Stilletta Maraschino and, for me and my friends, the star of the show: Angelique DeVil.

Miss DeVil did a great “bee” routine which started with her in a nerdy bee outfit dancing to Blind Lemon and ended with her popping and locking to a hip-hop number. She pretty much stole the show for us with her quirky, high-energy, yet still incredibly sexy stage presence. We were sure to write down her name because this was one dancer we wanted to keep our eyes on. It was a great night and a perfect sampler of some of the great burlesque talent that is currently gracing stages in the Rose City.
Read More…

Arts >