In Mara Wilson's memoir, Where am I now?, describes burlesque as follows: “pretty women and cute boys with all kinds of bodies could do whatever they wanted on stage, as long as they ended up in some state of undress.” I've always found this to be an incredibly apt description of burlesque as an art form. Perhaps this is where the fundamental joy of burlesque comes from: the complete freedom of the performers and the sense that anything is possible in its glittering scenes.
Of course, watching attractive people take their clothes off is also no small feat.
I have written about Uptown Underground and the Kiss Kiss cabaret before, but they really are some of the best venues and shows in town, so it's hard to tire of the theme. And with an ever-changing lineup of talented performers, it's hard to tire of the show, too, when there's always a surprise around every corner.
What kind of surprises? Well, I can't make any promises about what you might see, given the aforementioned rotation of performers, but when I venture underground to their show on Friday, August 24, I'm in for a treat draglesque, a combination of drag and burlesque that I never knew I needed but now I'm quiet obsessed with. In a break from the usual burlesque structure, the host, Minnie Bar, did a number at the top of Act II, then unabashedly announced the next act while dressed in nothing but pasties, a thong and a few accessories. And, in my personal favorite twist of the night, Foxy La Fleur took Kelis' “Milkshake” to a whole new level by pouring an actual milkshake on her body at the end of a set routine in a remix of this song.
Beautiful people, bbeautiful dancing and possibly creative uses of ice cream—what more could you want from an evening's entertainment?
Ticket information
Next show: August 31, 2018 at 7:30 pm
Location: Uptown Underground, 4707 N Broadway, Chicago, IL 60640
Tickets: $22.50-$46.50. For tickets and more information visit the Kiss Kiss Cabaret website the the Uptown Underground website.
All photos courtesy of Uptown Underground.
