What I liked
SO MUCH! Firstly, the vocals were insane. Gorgeous harmonies and amazing solos— I was totally hypnotized by the “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” solo, which was one of the best covers of that song I have ever heard, and all the more impressive because it happened during an onstage striptease/drag costume change— so cool! And of course, no one’s mad about the whistle register making an appearance in Ah Feel Ya’s (am I spelling that right?) solo— early Mariah Carey, eat your heart out. Being a nerd I really appreciated the meta theater jokes, and there was a great amount of silliness throughout the show that kept the whole crowd giggling. Alli Miller was particularly great as the deadpan JulieWet, playing wonderfully off the hilarious Bromeo, but also had great moments of real emotion, which was honestly a bit of a surprise that I really enjoyed. (I like a sneak attack of pathos in my comedy!)
Finally, as someone who’s seen an EFF ton of indie burlesque, I just have to complement the actual routines within the story, and the integrity of the group as a cohesive whole. It sort of irks me when you see a troupe and there are like two token ladies who go down to pasties, then the singers, then the dancers… here, everyone did everything, each having their specialty where they were able to shine in particular, but it was, at the core, true burlesque through and through— high brow, low brow, sexy, silly, and, as is tradition, each number ending with the pasties reveal. Call me a purist, but I really appreciated the consistency and quality of these routines.
What I didn't like
The show ran a bit long for the hour of night (started at 11, so I was up well past bedtime by the end like an old lady) but like I said, it was so good I didn’t actually notice how late it was until it was over and I was like woah I should sleep now. Maybe a light trim wouldn’t hurt, but WOW, it was so good!!!
My overall impression
This show exploded my expectations— yes, I thought it would be a good time, yes, I expected some talented routines, but I thought it would resemble other burlesque acts where it was more of a collection of routines rather than a story actually being told. Well… WOW. This was so well put together, so cohesive, so perfectly executed, and just flawless from start to finish. Huge kudos to the writers for finding a way to seamlessly integrate a variety of cover songs/dances that otherwise would be totally random, but here worked perfectly. Yes it’s a silly story, but it’s pretty solid, and I actually got really into it! The cast is ridiculously talented, I mean really ridiculous— any one of them could be a solo act, so the fact that they are all working together as an ensemble to create this show just makes it phenomenal. The dancing was impressive, the singing was absolutely gorgeous, the comedy was constant and riotous, and there were even some pathos in the mix— while I knew I was watching essentially a burlesque show with a through-line, the relationships these actors built felt real enough that, when tragedy struck, I felt some feels. The largest testament to the quality of this show is I DO NOT do Fringe shows over an hour, and this one virtually breezed by. It’s rare to be able to do a long show without the audience perceiving the length, and this show pulls it off because it grabs you, tosses you around, and doesn’t give you a second to stop feeling entertained until the very end. Even the live band is fun to watch, as they are clearly as into performing as the cast onstage (sneak a peek at them, they’re awesome!) A truly excellent show, do not miss it!
