The BEST of BURLESQUE

Photo rights belong to Shadow Box Live--Columbus, Ohio

I am enjoying planned and spontaneous Date Nights with Jireh and Erik, whether it’s Netflix, salsa dancing and or taking a cooking class, it’s important to make time for one another.   My most recent date night with Erik was at our local Shadow Box Live where they self-produce a wide range of live shows.  The show we had the pleasure of seeing without charge was “The Best of Burlesque”.  We received complementary tickets for the opening show.  Now I must say I have been shielded from the world of burlesque so our venture to a live viewing left me with an open mental canvas.  Not everyone is privy to my narrow realm.  So I wrote this blog as an overview to those of you who may be slightly interested or fascinated or apprehensive.  This compilation isn’t intended to be “conclusive” about what to anticipate at a burlesque show.  As with all live performance, the best way to understand burlesque is to appreciate it in person.

In this show the acts were around three to five minutes, or the span of a pop song.  Each act was like a mini play with its own narrative, story, tone, and message.  There was finale of a striptease act but it was more about a resolution of the rigidity of the story, or the delivering of a punch line, than it is solely about physical exposure.  That being said, the exposure and the message were interwoven, and reliant on each other.  Burlesque acts, like other stories, take the audience on an excursion.  The makeup is extreme, hair is big (often a wig), and costumes are ostentatious.   We had a ball.  The show was definitely Broadway worthy.  In between every act there was a short movie clip showcasing some of the women behind burlesque.  Here is a link to some of the women that were showcased on the screen:  https://itssimplyburlesque.wordpress.com/2009/06/16/top-15-classic-burlesque-queens/

At our show it was socially acceptable for the audience to clap, howl, yell and scream of laughter and endorsement.  And it appeared as though the performers enjoyed every bit.  Jan 20, 2016 was opening night and shows will run on Wednesday, Thursdays and Sundays until April 2016.  Our audience was fairly mixed, mainly couples.  Heteronormativity is not the projected norm.

Our view

So what happens if you go to a burlesque show, and it was not what I have described?  Well, welcome to the world of burlesque.  With any kind of live performance, the best way to experience it is to go to a show.  Go with an open mind.  And expect to be entertained.  Check out a live show:  http://www.shadowboxlive.org/shows/the-best-of-burlesque  at the end of the show you will also get a discount coupon to present at The Gardens http://thegardencolumbus.net/  

Be sure to share your experience….