Review - "Doctor Who Returns to Hotsy Totsy Burlesque"

By Byrne Harrison

Photo by Ben Trivett
Handsome Brad, Cherry Pitz

I love "Doctor Who."  I also love New York's fulsome burlesque scene.  Thanks to Joe the Shark, Cherry Pitz and the rest of the crew behind Hotsy Totsy Burlesque, I had a chance to enjoy the two together.  And despite the deluge, it was a fun, and very well attended event.

The evening, "Doctor Who Returns to Hotsy Totsy Burlesque," featured some marvelous performers - Cherry Pitz, Lana Firebird, Lewd Alfred Douglas, Little Motown, Matt Knife, Nasty Canasta, Nelson Lugo, Ruby Solitaire, Teddy Turnaround and Handsome Brad.  But I wasn't there just for the excellent burlesque performers, I was there for the Doctor.  And Doctor Who fans were not disappointed.  There was a stripping Amy Pond, TARDIS, and Dalek (Daleks look much better without their protective armor in this version than they do on "Doctor Who").  There was a Cyberman version of Cherry Pitz who had to be rescued by Lana Firebird and Little Motown.  There was a Weeping Angel (a male one - don't blink or you're buggered).  Best of all, there was a spot on Matt Smith impersonation by Handsome Brad and some great repartee between him and Cherry Pitz.

This was my first trip to The Home for Wayward Girls and Fallen Women (aka the R Bar on the Bowery), but not my last.  Hotsy Totsy Burlesque has a little something for everyone, and thanks to the fun themes that Joe the Shark and Cherry Pitz come up with, you'll have a great time.

Next up is "Cherry Pitz: Vampire Hunter," on Tuesday, October 16th.  If the crowd at the Doctor Who night is any indication, buy a ticket and get there early.  The place fills up fast.  Maybe Cherry Pitz will finally figure out who the greatest vampire is - Dracula, Edward, LeStat, or Angel.

Photo by C. Scott Robinson
Matt Knife

Photo by Nishell Falcone
Lana Firebird, Cherry Pitz, Little Motown