There’s something about getting all dolled up for a night on the town and going to see a beautiful burlesque show. Although the Richmond Triangle Players Theater can be a bit hidden, it’s a gem and really gives you the feeling as though it’s some secret club you’ve been given the keys to. I honestly love this venue because it is a true theater setting with cocktail tables to boot!
Bouncing Betties Burlesque is known for their work in the non-profit world and I’ve enjoyed seeing Skye and Stormie grow in their endeavor. Their shows keep getting better and better with a lot of newcomers adorning the lineup. You could say Mark Slomski is resident host for BB, and I can say that I enjoy the chemistry he has with his audience. As I’ve said many many times before, the man can charm the pants off of you. He lets the performers do that for him, though, of course.
This night was a special night, as it raised funds for Breast Cancer research, and might I say with all sincerity, the ladies of Bouncing Betties Burlesque did so with such elegance and heart. Pretty in Pink they all were, from ruffles to glitter to wigs, as they watched each other perform from the audience and cheered each other on accordingly. Mr. Slomski, along with brother Phil, provided musical interludes as well as some magic, with audience participation. There were some standout things I’d like to mention about this show and I will do so beginning with Miss Kimberly Kosmo. To see a performer invent themselves so well right out of the gate amazes me. She is well rehearsed and knows just who to give her winks to. Her little candy number just makes you smile, and you literally want to ask her Pa if it’s ok if she comes out to play. She’s just seductively cute!
In any live performance, there is a chance that things get a little botched up. Miss Cherrie Canary, who is known for her One Good Bad Girl shtick, had a slight setback that ironically enhanced her performance. I have yet to see anyone in RVA do a “politically/socially conscious” number. I will try and capture the moment for you:
The music begins. Pink’s “F**king Perfect” booms as the audience is quiet and awaits Cherrie’s entrance. Is she supposed to be onstage? Where is she? The audience starts to wonder if this is part of the act. The music stops. There’s a slight chuckle from the audience and I think to myself, “She must not have heard she was on or something’s wrong.” Mark Slomski gets up on stage and seems just as confused but adlibs a recovery. He reintroduces Cherrie and even mentioning that she’s a funny performer. The music begins again. Cherrie enters the stage in a huge blond wig and big poofy dress. She begins looking at herself in a mirror and starts to take her dress off--but the dress literally has to be ripped off. You can see her pulling and tugging, and she’s huffing and puffing trying to get the dress off. The performance looked difficult, Cherrie’s face looked frustrated, and there seemed to be such intensity to the number. You’re not quite sure if this is intentional. You’re relieved when she finally gets the dress off and she begins to write words on her arms and legs and body. You hear Pink sing, “…if you ever ever feel like you’re nothing, you’re perfect to me!” She stands in front of the audience in regular bra and underwear, face bare, the words “Perfect” written on her, and then the performance ends.
It was pretty amazing actually. You felt like you wanted to help her from the beginning of her act but it all worked because it created this feeling of helplessness and then triumph. It truly gave some of us chills. She conveyed a message that wasn’t the usual vex and tease fare, and it was nice to see.
To be a live performer requires you to be creative. It makes you push yourself to think outside the box a lot of times. Some performances are straightforward and others are seductive, dark, and classy. Yet at times you run across an act that really breaks it down for you. I’ve seen exactly three performances from Miss Foxie Faux Pas and I can, without a doubt, say she really knows how to make the quirky absolutely hilarious. Her partner Benny Bangalore is also making his mark on the boylesque scene. Those two partnered up make for best duo in RVA burlesque I’ve seen! When you can take the theme of breast cancer and come out in a Power Ranger’s costume and proceed to kick “cancer’s ass”, well…what more is there to say? Pure comedy! The two of them understand the conveyance of a comedy duo and do it well. There is nothing more fun than laughing out loud heartily at a burlesque show.
Charlie did a beautiful fan dance, Lottie Ellington did a lot of booty shaking and slow-teasin’, Binky Daiz induced lots of laughter when her number consisted of The Lonely Island’s “On a Boat”, Lorelei Leisure started the show making a reemergence to the burlesque scene with a nice little dance number, and, well, Deanna Danger’s performance blew everyone away. Dancing to Strauss’ “Blue Danube” and beautifully dressed as a bird (beak and all) was a fantastic treat. But that wasn’t as fantastic as her suggestion for the closing of the show.
I’d like to mention that Skye Sinclaire and Bouncing Betties Burlesque is the only non-profit burlesque troupe here in Richmond. They have consistently raised money for vets, troupe care packages, autism, and cancer research among others. It is a way to give back to the community but also the best use of breasts I’ve ever seen! As the show closed and curtain call arrived, something magical happened. As the girls had been performing during the night, I noticed that all their pasties were the pink ribbons notably associated with breast cancer. And as previously mentioned, Deanna Danger's brilliant suggestion was that every one of those pasties be auctioned off to the audience. This raised a few hundred dollars for breast cancer research, leaving some members in the audience in possession of some prized tata covers. Mr. Mark Slomski might have fainted onstage had he not had his cute kitten, Bitsy Buttons holding him up. It was a beautiful night wrapped up in one pretty pink bow.
Words by Lady J
Images by Melissa Brugh