Monday, May 18, 2009

Review - Revealed (Horse Trade Theater Group presents a GiGi La Femme & Doc Wasabassco Production)

Review by Byrne Harrison

I will admit that I have only two points of reference when it comes to strippers. First, thanks to a life full of theatre, there are the Broadway burlesque girls - primarily the "You Gotta Have a Gimmick" strippers from Gypsy - plenty of art, but not much sex. Then there are the strippers from way too many frat and bachelor parties - lots of sex, not so much art. Each exists in its own reality, and never the twain shall meet.

Fortunately for New Yorkers who are looking for a taste of both, Doc Wasabassco and GiGi La Femme have created a show that not only gets art and sex together onstage, but adds a healthy dose of talent and fun. The result is Revealed, a wild and innovative monthly production featuring some of the lovliest and most talented burlesque performers you're likely to see.

The cast changes from month to month, but one thing remains the same, all the girls know how to put on a show.

April's performance featured a little bit of everything: traditional burlesque strippers, all lace and pasties; raunchy beer-guzzling beauties; comic futuristic geishas; and plenty more to boot. While I intend to discuss the performers, I'd like to say a little something about the audience. Revealed has an amazing mix of people at its performances. Downtown artists, directors, actors, playwrights, guys out for a night on the town, couples (of all sexes) on dates, it is an amazingly eclectic cross-section of the East Village scene. Go for the show, but stay for the crowd; you never know who might show up.

The host of the evening was Jonny Porkpie, the Burlesque Mayor of NYC, filling in for the ailing Bastard Keith and Madame Rosebud. Kicking off the show with an impressive, multi-costumed strip of his own, he set the mood and got the crowd going. The lovely ladies of April were Amber Ray, Peekaboo Pointe, Kobayashi Maru (yes, it's a Star Trek reference), Lil Miss Lixx, Harvest Moon, and GiGi La Femme. Each girl had her own style and specialty, and while each was remarkable and entertaining, the standouts were Amber Ray's sultry opening number, an old-school strip with corsettes, lace and amazing curves, Kobayashi Maru, whose robotic geisha tea ceremony could satisfy any number of odd fetishes, and the incomparable GiGi La Femme, who rang in the Spring in her own special way.

It should be mentioned that Revealed is not a g-string and pasties sort of show. If nudity offends you, this is definitely not for you.

Revealed is extremely popular; if you wish to attend the next performance on Wednesday, May 20th, you'd do well to buy your tickets in advance and get there early. The May performance features Anita Cookie, Peekaboo Pointe, Kobayashi Maru, GiGi La Femme, Sapphire Jones, and Stormy Leather in her Revealed debut.

Revealed Burlesque is on the third Wednesday of every month at 10 PM at UNDER St. Marks (94 St. Marks Place between 1st and Avenue A).

Tickets ($20) are available by calling Smarttix at 212-868-4444 or online at http://www.horsetrade.info/.

Want to find out more about the performers? Visit their websites (some sites may be NSFW):

Amber Ray
Peekaboo Pointe
Kobayashi Maru
GiGi La Femme
Lil Miss Lixx
Harvest Moon
Jonny Porkpie
Bastard Keith
Madame Rosebud