Quick…2010 movie starring Cher and Christina Aguilera that bombed at the box office but has a flashy name? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? BURLESQUE! Ok, so the movie was not a success (gee, wonder why) but that is totally the opposite of any burlesque show you’d actually see performed. Wait, what?!? What is burlesque? You’re kidding, right?
Ok, burlesque is dance. Well, and striptease. Oh, and comedy. It’s sexy. It’s sultry. It’s glamorous. Men, women, children…no, not children but men and women alike will be drawn in and turned on by a good burlesque show. A good burlesque show will have some satire, some improv, and, of course, some sexiness.
Burlesque performances started in the 1860s in the United States and changed with the times through the 1990s. At first, burlesque shows were variety acts performed in cabarets and clubs. Then, they grew up into sexier versions of themselves. You could say that they hit puberty. Honey, puberty was kind to burlesque shows. Audiences everywhere agreed. Between the striptease and the comedy, these were shows that were well worth the price of admission. Well, almost everywhere. In New York in the 1940s, the mayor had a little problem with burlesque shows and closed them down. This ridiculousness spread and by the 1970s, burlesque had lost its popularity crown.
Not to fear! In the 1990s, a wave of innovators longing for the sultriness of years past revitalized burlesque. They went back to the roots of the show and breathed life back into the satire and striptease that is the essence of burlesque. Today, burlesque has a cult following that is growing and becoming more main stream. It’s not quite there yet, so to find a good show, you have to search.
Luckily for you, there is a top notch burlesque show that happens weekly right here in LoDo. That’s right, weekly. Each Tuesday night from 8:00 to 10:00pm you and your friends, partners, lovers, coworkers, and neighbors can come down to the RISE Comedy Playhouse and have some food, some drinks, and watch the Follies Voudou do what they do best – Burlesque. Contact us for tickets and information.
