Latest news with #burlesque
Travel Weekly
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Travel Weekly
The farce be with you: 'The Empire Strips Back' opens at the Rio
May the Fourth marked the debut of a raucous "Star Wars"-themed production, "The Empire Strips Back -- A Burlesque Parody" at the Rio Hotel & Casino. Far from being a "wretched hive of scum and villainy," the lighthearted, richly choreographed comedy show includes Stormtrooper stripteases, Darth Vader in stilettos and other characters. The original version of "The Empire Strips Back," a three-night-run in a 150-seat bar in Sydney, has grown to three productions that are touring North America. Another production opened in London. • Related: Is this the steamiest show in Las Vegas? Since "your eyes can deceive you, don't trust them," the production is not sponsored, endorsed by or affiliated with Disney, Lucasfilm or its subsidiaries. The show was created by Russall S. Beattie, and the Las Vegas engagement is produced by Foster Entertainment and Neil Gooding Productions. Princess Leia and R2-D2 perform for the opening-night audience at 'The Empire Strips Back—A Burlesque Parody." Photo Credit: Denise Truscello Showtimes are at 8 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and at 7 p.m. Fridays through Sundays with additional shows at 9:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Tickets range from $49 to $119 (plus tax and fees). Guests must be 18 years and older to attend.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Movies with burlesque, Sandra Bernhard among Parkway's Pride events in June
The Parkway Theater is celebrating Pride throughout June with a series of events that includes live podcasts, book launches, stand-up comedy, and a trio of movies curated by Queenie von Curves that will be paired with burlesque/drag performances hosted by the curator. The Von Curves-curated movie series starts on June 10 with But I'm a Cheerleader (1999), where Megan (Natasha Lyonne) gets sent to a camp by her tightly-wound parents who suspect that she might be a lesbian. The film also stars Clea DuVall (Marjorie from Veep), Michelle Williams, and RuPaul. That's followed by the Robin Williams and Nathan Lane classic, The Birdcage (1996), a movie that is playing a surprising number of times throughout the summer at Twin Cities theaters. The series wraps up with the cult classic The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994), which stars Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce, and Terence Stamp. That trio stars as two drag queens and a transgender woman who travel the Australian Outback en route to a casino where they'll perform a long run. But the trip there — aboard their bus, Priscilla, Queen of the Desert — is where the episodic movie takes place as they meet other travelers, are subjected to abuse, and find some friends. It's almost odd to call it a cult classic when it won Un Certain Regard at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival and an Oscar for Best Costume Design. As always, the Parkway offers a series pass for its monthly film programs. This one costs $36, gets you into all three movies, and lands you a bag of popcorn at each screening. The three-movie pass is available through Wednesday, June 10, at 9 a.m. Other Pride-themed events in June include a new live show from comedian Sandra Bernhard on June 12, a new performance from Jeff Hiller called "Jeff Hiller Is Basic" on June 28, a screening of Purple Rain on June 5, and the "So Gay For You Book Tour" with Kate Moenning and Leisha Hailey on June 7.
Times
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
It's a burlesque Star Wars — with stripping robots
It's a summer of burlesque in London. The scene queen Dita Von Teese returns in June with Diamonds and Dust. Burlesque the Musical, set to the songs of Christina Aguilera and Sia, opens in July. But first up is The Empire Strips Back, a cheerfully odd but bizarrely boring collision of burlesque dancing and Star Wars fandom, which has played in more than 40 cities around the world since Russall S Beattie created it for a Sydney nightclub in 2011. 'They can't put tits on Darth Vader, can they?' a woman behind me wondered halfway through. Well, our amiably blokey host, Pete Dobbing, asks us not to give spoilers — when not asking for evidence in the crowd of Star Wars tattoos,
RNZ News
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Lily Catastrophe: using cabaret and comedy
culture arts about 1 hour ago Shiyi Redpath is better known as Lily Catastrophe, a burlesque performer whose debut solo theatre show, Bottom Surgery was a critical hit at this year's New Zealand and Dunedin fringe festivals. It returns this month in Poneke Wellington for the New Zealand International Comedy Festival. Brave, honest and, at turns raucous and funny, Bottom Surgery is a mix of burlesque, storytelling and cabaret. It is both memoir and glitter-soaked celebration of the body. And the title is no joke. Through performance Redpath has found a way to introduce others to the complexities of the transgender experience today and, what she describes as "the wins, losses, and absurdities" of her journey navigating gender-affirming surgery. Redpath is calling for more accessible trans healthcare in Aotearoa, and created Bottom Surgery to tell her own story through the system, which saw her ultimately getting surgery privately overseas, after years on the public waitlist. Before that in 2023 she was one of 412 people with referrals for a first specialist assessment for gender-affirming surgery. There were however - and remain only 14 publicly funded surgeries budgeted a year - a quota set when the service was funded in the 2019 government budget. In 2024, Lily Catastrophe was runner-up in the national burlesque competition, Starlet of New Zealand, and performed internationally as a featured performer at the Saskatoon International Burlesque Festival. Bottom Surgery is on at BATS Theatre Poneke Wellington from May 13 to 17.
