Why suck down another vodka tonic with a hedge funder named Chip when you could enjoy some pasties with your pastis in the company of Stormy Leather, Ms. Tickle and Nasty Canasta?
New York City’s best fishnet-and-feather-boa burlesque acts infuse a bit of Coney Island into the cocktail scene with Vegas-like costumes, sensuality, bawdy humor, cabaret and the thrill of the unexpected. Here are some of the best:
“Floating Kabarette” at Galapagos Art Space (DUMBO) If Charlotte York had an affair with a circus performer, you’d get this show—classy and polished, with just a touch of freak. Curved, elegant banquettes sit on platforms above water while a rotating cast of performers keep this variety show feeling fresh. Feather-eyelashed aerialist Lisa Natoli spins above from suspended silk ribbons, while vaudeville troupe Jenny Rocha and Her Painted Ladies dance, musical acts like the Red Hook Ramblers do their thing, and a fishnetted performer belts out “What Lola Wants” while grinding on an audience member. Saturday night tickets are $25 for VIP seating and $20 for general admission; table service available.
“Beatles Burlesque” at Public Assembly (Williamsburg) Cover band Ticket to Ride reinterprets Beatles’ songs for a very sexy roster of performers at burlesque fixture Calamity “Yoko” Chang’s monthly show (she also performs weekly at Nurse Bettie). Not sure the Fab Four had a near-naked, blue-mohawked, dancing Madame Rosebud in mind when they wrote “Helter Skelter,” but, oddly, it works. The intimate show honors traditional burlesque with live instead of taped music; it’s the soulful singer Broadway Brassy, who channels Janis Joplin, who steals the show despite showing the least skin of all. Cover charge is $10 for shows held on the second Monday of the month (next show is September 12).
The Slipper Room (LES) NYC’s burlesque pioneer is part gritty, part glitter. Once the longest-running weekly burlesque show in NYC and home to Jo “Boobs” Weldon’s New York School of Burlesque, the tiny Slipper Room is getting a makeover and is scheduled to reopen this fall in a bigger space. The Slipper Room is less refined nightclub act and more untamed rock ’n’ roll, complete with over-the-top humor and sometimes uncomfortable sexuality in an unforgettable show.
Room 69: Hotel Chantelle (LES): This Friday night show—held on the hotel roof or in the lobby—combines classic costume-and-feathers striptease with a dash of personality, like emcee Albert Cadabra swallowing a 3-foot balloon and bendy blonde Ekaterina deep throating her own toe—from over her left shoulder. There’s no cover but still plan on unloading some twenties for specialty cocktails and automatic 20% gratuity. Bottle service at tables, or sit at the bar.
Photo by Ben Trivett
