Midwest Burlesk 2011

Last night I went to the Midwest Burlesk 2011 after dinner at Nye's.  This is the third year I've gone.  The first year I talked Kyle into going, and then urged my wife to attend the next day with Sarah and Pete.  Last year, despite misaligning with Kyle, he added Matthew and his brother in law and my wife added my sister and Cookie Queen.  And this year we added Ming and my wife added a friend and a co-worker of mine.  I list this ever growing roster of attendees as supporting documentation for my yearly assertion that the festival is one of the best events in town and that it's not some sort of event (only) for oversexed 40-somethings.

The acts were, once again, hilarious, although according to my wife we missed out by not getting to see the little person, Viva LaMuerte, doing burlesk.  Pooteewheet said the act wasn't great as far as burlesque, but it was unique because of Viva.

We did see The Bon-Bons, Coco Dupree doing an act with a safe (great dancer), Ophelia Flame doing an office burlesque that involved a copier that transmitted to the big screen (nice beaver), Midnite Martini who could remove one stocking seductively with her opposite foot, Nadine Dubois the host singing I Feel Like a Natural Woman while the Stage Door Johnnies were behind her all Kali-like, Sizzle Dizzle from New York, Sweetpea in a rather fascinating gold pantsuit (don't think of a 70's pants suit...it was nothing like that), Minnie Tonka, and a few others, including a burlesque dancer dressed in a plastic trash bag doing a fan dance with fans made of refuse.  Burlesque as social commentary!

The male dancers - boylesque - ran away with the show, however.  I believe it was Jett Adore of the Stage Door Johnnies who did an act featuring an outfit with numerous strings which prompted host Nadine Dubois to remark, "Who'd have thought an ass corset could bring you to tears?  This is a great job!"

And then there was The Evil Hate Monkey.  He's actually a duet, Trixie Little and The Evil Hate Monkey, although he performed solo as well earlier, engaging in a series of ballet moves (real ones - on the toes, good form, et al) that brought to mind what the Nutbuster should have been like.  Trixie and the Hate Monkey were mesmerizing.  They opened to Total Eclipse of the Heart, and appeared in and out of the darkness, including disappearing from the stage and into the audience, and then moved into their act which included all sorts of acrobatics you'd normally expect to see at Cirque du Soleil, all while incrementally disrobing with plenty of humor.  I almost got beaned by the humor, his banana peel flying straight at my head (I ducked and let the person behind me catch it, although it would have been amusing to bring home for Pooteewheet).  I'm disappointed a can't buy Kyle his very own Hate Monkey t-shirt for his birthday (they exist, they're just sold out).

A great show!  Here's Trixie and the Evil Hate Monkey performing, although it was much better in person.