The Tuesday Tease: Burly Meets Derby This Weekend!

December 10, 2013
By Jimmy Berg

I’ve always felt that there were a lot of similarities between the roller derby community and the burlesque community. Both are predominately run by women. Both take something that was once exploitative and and turn it into something that is empowering. Both seem to have sprung out of the punk and retro scenes and both require adopting some sort of moniker; tough names for roller girls and sexy names for burlesque girls.

Both communities also seem to love Brown Paper Tickets! We’ve had a long-standing relationship with both derby and burlesque and we’ve seen both grow at a rapid rate over the last decade with practically every town boasting its own roller derby league or burlesque troupe. We like to think that we helped that growth but the full credit should be bestowed upon the hard-working, DIY-minded producers that have put their blood (literally in the case of derby!) and sweat into building their local communities, often for little or no monetary reward.

Of course there’s even more overlap between the two communities with many roller girls dabbling in burlesque and vice versa, so this week I thought I’d highlight two upcoming shows that bring these two worlds together.
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Tuesday Tease: Hollywood Burlesque Festival

December 3, 2013
By Jimmy Berg

This Friday, the inaugural Hollywood Burlesque Festival kicks off in Los Angeles and we are especially excited for this one as it’s produced by longtime Brown Paper Tickets supporter and producer/hostess of Monday Night Tease, LA’s longest running weekly burlesque show, Lili VonSchtupp. Lili is the perfect example of what is possible if you are passionate and devoted to your art form. To host a weekly show that packs ’em in week in and week out is no small feat and burlesque producers could learn a lot from Lili. She’s definitely got the skills to pay the bills!

Lili’s taking her incredible production skills to the next level this weekend as she hosts the first ever burlesque festival in Los Angeles. She’s got four days of shows, classes, tours, movies and parties planned and I’m especially excited because I get to go down there and be a part of all the fun. If you’ve ever wanted to meet me or know more about Brown Paper Tickets, you can look for us in vending where we’ll have a table set up all weekend or come to the Three Clubs on Sunday, December 8 from 6:30pm to 8pm, where we’ll be hosting a meet and greet with anyone that’s curious about us, what we do and how we can help you out with your burlesque show, festival or classes. If you’re going to be in LA this weekend, please find me and say hi.

I got a chance to catch up with Lili and pick her brain about the LA burlesque scene, her personal burlesque history and the festival. She even offers some valuable advice to producers out there that are thinking of starting up their own festival.

So, without further ado, I give you, the one and only Lili VonSchtupp!
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Tuesday Tease: Brown Paper Ticket’s Burlesque Buffet!

November 26, 2013
By Jimmy Berg

The holidays are upon us! Later this week Americans will be gorging on turkey and stuffing and spending time with their families and loved ones. Not many people know that the night before Thanksgiving is actually one of the busiest nights of the year for bars and clubs because everyone has family in town and no plans for the weekend other than eating and drinking and nursing their hangovers.

Therefore, it makes sense that this would be a perfect weekend to get out and see a burlesque show and, boy howdy, have we got some good ones. We even have a few that aren’t in America. So even if you don’t celebrate “thanksgiving” in the American sense of the word, this is still a great weekend to go out, enjoy some cocktails and celebrate time with family and friends.

A little holiday burlesque could be just the ticket for a great night out with the family (assuming they’re not puritans) and we got a bursting “buffet” of burlesque action to feast on. There’s even an actual burlesque buffet happening on Saturday so you can get food and flirty fun all in one shot.

So, whether you’re in Seattle, New Orleans, D.C., Toronto or Paris, France, we got some tasty holiday treats in store for you this week! Have a great holiday everyone.

TONIGHT! Tuesday, November 26

Lipgloss Crisis Presents: The Day Before The Day Before Thanksgiving!! – New Haven, Connecticut

This full-length cabaret at Lipgloss Crisis is stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey with all kinds of entertainment!

Hosted by one of New Haven’s premier drag queens, Miss Robin Banks! Lipgloss Crisis herself will hit the stage with some singing and Viking action. Miss Kitty Katastrophe, New Haven’s cutie, will shake and shimmy some of her burlesque skills, and Uber Dami from Circus Delecti will be doing tricks and tap-dancing her way straight to your heart!

Mat Stokes will be playing 1920’s tunes with his guitar and harmonica. There will also be some surprise performers! There will also be an intermission with light refreshments and wine between acts.

Start your Thanksgiving season right with Lipgloss Crisis!

Wednesday, November 27

Kinky Parade Au Standard Porte Maillot – Paris, France

At the heart of the golden triangle and just a stone’s throw from the Champs-Elysees, is Le Standard and its elegantly sophisticated pleasures. Spend an evening among unforgettable, funny, sexy and glamorous burlesque artists in an interactive show that will be an extraordinarily unforgettable experience!

Le Standard’s cuisine, like the club itself, combines classic and contemporary for a menu built around seasonal ingredients. You’ll be surprised by the concoctions of Le Standard’s mixologists and their custom cocktails featuring rare alcohols, fresh juices and mixers, as well as a wide assortment of classic cocktails.

Performing this Wednesday will be: Lightning Love, Lila Chupa -Hoops, Betty Frizzy Patsy, Polly Pony Girl and Eva Valentina.
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Tuesday Tease: Wibbly Wobbly, Glittery Wittery

November 19, 2013
By James Ulness

The day has nearly arrived, Can you feel it in the air? The 50th anniversary of Doctor Who is upon us! And all the Whovians around the world are getting ready. And, as with any festivity, burlesque Whovians are in on the merrymaking. Except that once they’ve donned their bow ties, fezzes and giant scarfs, they will be taking them off once again, faster than you can say “allons-y!”

It doesn’t matter if you go by TARDIS, Vortex Manipulator or Void Ship, you don’t want to miss the wibbly wobbly, glittery wittery fun!

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Christmas comes to Philadelphia early this year and stays late, thanks to the brilliant folks at Busts & Trunks. From now until January you will be able to treat yourself to three Doctor who themed burlesque shows!

TOMORROW! Wednesday, November 20 | Stars & Garters: A Doctor Who Burlesque — 50th Anniversary Show! Join Busts & Trunks, artists in residence at the Trestle Inn, for their 50th Who-versary Celebration tomorrow at 8 PM for what promises to be the most Wibbly Wobbly Timey Wimey evening this side of the TARDIS doors. The evening will feature Casanova Chaos, Rita Action, “Ace”merelda Spade, Freyja Kanina, Scarlett Simone, and Eris T. Vayle as the sexy, sultry, sonic members of the Doctor’s enclave throughout the years.

Wednesday, December 11 | Stars & Garters: A Doctor Who Burlesque – The Who-lidays Edition! ‘Tis the Season for some Who-lly Jolly Times! Deck the TARDIS with boughs of Holly, Fa-la-la-la-la La-la-la ALLONS-Y!

Wednesday, January 15| Stars & Garters: A Doctor Who Burlesque Stars & Garters’ is designed to be both New-to-Who and Hardcore Whovian friendly, so burlesque enthusiasts, fangirls and boys, cosplayers, LARP-ers, nerds, geeks, freaks, sci-fi aficionados, Timelords and aspiring companions are all welcome. Bring your bawdy friends! Come join Busts & Trunks as they channel the TARDIS, touch the Time Vortex, exit the Pandorica, and confront the Daleks. You might even meet a Doctor or two.

Tuesday Tease: This Week in Burlesque

October 15, 2013
By Jimmy Berg

I mentioned in an earlier post that October seems to be a big month for burlesque shows. I credit this to there being so many fun themes that you can play with: horror movies, sci fi, fantasy, etc. I was trying desperately to find a “theme” for this blog post but the events this week are so good, I think they’re a theme in themselves. How can you go wrong with Addams Family burlesque, nerdlesque, David Cronenburg burlesque, a Halloween-themed Dr. Sketchy’s, a burlesque festival in Floria and tons of other great events? Really, pretty much all the burlesque events on our site for this week are certain to entertain and titillate.

Enough from me. Check out these great events and get excited. Halloween is just a mere two weeks away!

TONIGHT! Tuesday, October 15

Addams Family / Munsters Wedding: Hotsy Totsy Burlesque – New York, New York Cherry Pitz and Joe the Shark proudly present Hotsy Totsy Burlesque, New York’s only episodic, monthly burlesque show. Featuring a different script each month and a rotating cast, Hotsy Totsy is a high camp soap opera featuring some of the best burlesque talent New York has to offer. This month, Mr. & Mrs. Gomez Addams and Mr. & Mrs. Herman Munster request the pleasure of your company at the marriage of their children: Wednesday Friday Addams and Edward Wolfgang Munster! The wedding party includes: Abigoliah Schamaun, Bunny Buxom, Cliff Hanger, Handsome Brad, Izebel Vivant, Luke Warm, Nikki Levillain and Rosie Cheeks. The ceremony will be contuced by Cherry Pitz and catering will be provided by Sailor Jerry Spiced Rum, who promise drink specials and awesome swag.

Thursday, October 17

Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School Charleston Halloween – Charleston, West Virginia Put the life back into life drawing with Penny Maple and her inner demons! Put the life back into life drawing with Dr. Sketchy’s Anti-Art School at Uncork and Create (1031 Quarrier St across the street from the Quarrier Diner) in Charleston. All art mediums are accepted as long as they don’t disturb anyone else. Artists of any skill level from the novice to the pro are invited to come create in this relaxed environment. There will be contests and prizes throughout the night.
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Tuesday Tease: The Las Vegas Burlesque Festival

October 8, 2013
By Jimmy Berg

Man, 2013 is shaping up to be the year of the inaugural burlesque festival. If you’re a regular reader of the Tuesday Tease, you’ve seen that we’ve featured a ton of them this year.

Surprisingly, Las Vegas, a city steeped in burlesque history, is having their first “neo-burlesque” festival this year. While the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend is probably the biggest event in burlesque today, it is mostly focused on the legends of burlesque and classic burlesque. Vegas hasn’t had a festival that focuses on solely on the “neo-burlesque” scene; those that are pushing the boundaries of burlesque and taking it into the future.

Well, those days are over, because Cha Cha Velour, long time Vegas burlesque stalwart, founder of Las Vegas Burlesque Classes and the monthly showcase Live Burlesque in Las Vegas has started the Las Vegas Burlesque Festival! The festival kicks off this Thursday with the Thursday Night Showcase at Boomers Bar. We are absolutely thrilled to be a sponsor of the festival and to be ticketing Thursday night’s show.

Cha Cha took some time out of her insane pre-festival schedule to talk to us about the burlesque scene in Las Vegas, where to find the “real” burlesque in Vegas and she even offers a little advice to those of you thinking of starting a burlesque festival in your own town.

So, without further ado, I give you Cha Cha Velour, “burlesque beauty and tattooed cutie”:
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Tuesday Tease: This Week in Burlesque

October 1, 2013
By Jimmy Berg

For whatever reason, October is a busy time in the burlesque world. I think part of it is because the weather is cooling down and folks need steamier entertainment to warm them on the cold nights. The other reason is because Halloween offers a myriad of themes to play with, like Rocky Horror tributes, zombies, vampires, sci fi, you name it.

Whatever the reason, our site is overflowing with great shows happening around the world and so, instead of having a “theme” for this week’s post, I thought I’d just highlight some of our picks for the first week of Rocktober. I’ll do a post later in the month that focuses on Halloween burlesque events but for this I thought I’d try and show a little of the diversity of shows that are happening this month. We got shows all around the states and even a couple in Canada and the United Kingdom worth checking out.

So, enough from me, here’s your October in burlesque:

Somerville, Massachusetts

Starts Thursday, October 3 I The W. R. Athskellar Cavalcade of Curiosities An immersive and interactive theatrical experience, visitors to The W. R. Athskellar Cavalcade of Curiosities find themselves embroiled in an ancient battle… with the audience as the prize! Don’t miss this all-new interpretation of The Boston Babydolls’ popular Halloween show! Highlights of the evening include live music from the house band, the occasional circus stunt and, of course, burlesque from the award-winning Boston Babydolls.

The journeys of W. R. Athskellar span the globe and countless decades, searching for one exceptional performer after another. Why, on an ordinary night, while the band plays in this 10-in-1 attraction you might see The Disconnected Twins, The Illustrative Woman, or spy the Spider-Girl descending from the ceiling. On any regular evening, you could try your eye in The Shooting Alley, test your strength on The High-Striker, or learn what your future holds in The Fortune-Teller’s Tent…but this is neither a regular night, nor is there anything ordinary about your visit this evening.

Vancouver, British Columbia

Friday, October 4 I Abracadaver Cabaret Sisters, sisters. There were never such devoted sisters. At least, none so devoted to horror. There seems to be a growing correlation between sisters and all things horror in Vancouver. The Soska Sisters, aka the Twisted Twins (of Twisted Twins Productions), have already made their mark on film. Meanwhile, also in Vancouver, The Macabre Mauchlines’ Voodoo Pixie and Mama Fortuna have been dedicated to the same theatre show for four years now. That show, of course, is the AbraCadaver Cabaret.
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Tuesday Tease: The 11th Annual New York Burlesque Festival

September 24, 2013
By Jimmy Berg

It’s time, once again, for the biggest burlesque event to hit the Big Apple: the 11th Annual New York Burlesque Festival. The whole thing kicks off this Thursday, September 26 and organizers Angie Pontani and Jen Gapay (of Thirsty Girl Productions) always put on an unforgettable show. This festival is not only the longest running annual burlesque festival, but it has become one of the festivals that other producers look to for inspiration.

Every sub-genre of burlesque is represented: boylesque, neo-burlesque, nerdlesque, etc. Just one gander at this year’s lineup is enough to make your head (or tassels) spin. There are performers from nearly every corner of the planet: the UK, Sweden, Italy, Australia, even Russia! Basically, if you want to witness what is going on with burlesque in 2013, look no further. It’s all represented at this world-class festival.

We interviewed Jen last year in honor of their 10th anniversary and I encourage you all to check out that interview, especially if you are event producers yourself. Jen has an impressive track record of festival organization including The Capitol Hill Block Party in Seattle, the Siren Music Festival at Coney Island, The Glamour Ball on Fire Island, The New York Boylesque Festival which is now in its 2nd year and The Coney Island Talent Show, now in its fourth year. She was also the Associate Producer of the documentary, Last Summer at Coney Island, which aired on PBS in May 2011.
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Tuesday Tease: The San Antonio Burlesque Festival

September 3, 2013
By Jimmy Berg

This Friday and Saturday, the second annual San Antonio Burlesque Festival hits the stage of the Woodlawn Theater in, you guessed it, San Antonio, Texas. While most folks are probably more familiar with the burly scenes in Austin or Dallas, San Antonio is proving to be another hotbed of burlesque talent in the Lone Star State. You can pick up tickets to the Friday Night Teaser here and to the Saturday Night Spectacular here.

One thing I’ve noticed over the past year is more and more burlesque festivals happening in towns that previously were not considered major hubs of burlesque, further proof that the current revival of the art form is spreading rapidly to every corner of the country. This is exciting for those pursuing a career in burlesque as it shows that a potentially lucrative career could be established by just touring the, rapidly expanding, festival circuit.

The co-producer of the San Antonio Burlesque Festival, Jasper St. James, was kind enough to take time out of his crazy, pre-festival schedule to chat a little about the festival, the Texas burlesque scene and to offer a little advice for those of you out there considering starting a burlesque festival in your own neck of the woods.

Jasper is a boylesque performer from The Pastie Pops Burlesque Troupe in San Antonio and has become one of Texas’ leading male burlesque performers. He made his festival debut at the 2012 Dallas Burlesque Festival and went on to become the “Audience Choice” winner at the 2012 Texas Burlesque Festival. He was also recently crowned the 2013 Southern Fried King of Burlesque at the Southern Fried Burlesque Festival in Atlanta, Georgia.

We are honored that he took the time to answer our questions. So, enough from me. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Mr. Jasper St. James:
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Tuesday Tease: Seattle’s Monthly Burlesque Revue – Sanctuary

August 27, 2013
By James Ulness

This week on the Tuesday Tease, we feature a review of Seattle-based Gossamer Wing Productions’ August installment of the monthly show “Sanctuary.” Gossamer Wing Productions was formed by burlesque performer/producer Whisper De Corvo, an up-and-coming face on the Seattle burlesque scene and “Sanctuary,” though relatively new, is already drawing some of Seattle burlesque’s top talent, so Whisper must be doing something right! We love working with inspired producers like Whisper and if you’re in Seattle we highly encourage you to check out her shows.

Our resident burlesque field correspondent James Ulness was on hand to witness the show and here’s what he had to say about it:

On Sunday, August 11, I was fortunate enough to be witness to Gossamer Wing Productions, amazing, August performance of Sanctuary at the Narwhal (in the basement of the Unicorn).

My evening started when I arrived at the Unicorn, on Seattle’s Capitol Hill. After entering, I made my way downstairs into the sideshow festooned, pinball haven that is the Narwhal. I made a brief detour to the claw machine, ordered my drink and found a seat at a beautiful, skull-painted table. After a short wait the host, Mr. Bawdy, took the stage and began two hours that were filled with every style and variety of act that you could ever hope for, from four absolutely amazing performers!
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