After a month of being super broke (meh) I finally made it out to another show! Yeah. Of course, the fan boy that I am Sinner Saint Burlesque was my destination, and just in time because opening night of "Pop Culture" was a really fun show.
The evening was hosted by guest comedienne/actor Adra Boo, who shinned on stage in all her curvacious glory. Adra's banter with the audience was both excellently executed and very well received. She stayed focused, filled time, and did all of the other things you expect a good host to do. Sinner Saint lost a gem when Nicole Lucas moved to Texas, but Adra is a beautiful jewel to help decorate the SSB stage, at least for this run. I am excited to see how various guest hosts work with the team as they progress this year.
(Ok so this review is turning flowery quick. I apologize if my language turns all Cyrano on you.)
As one might expect "Pop Culture" covers a wide expanse of material. Touching on music, dance, technology, celebrity, television, and even childhood memories, this show has quite the variety of performance. One critique is that such diversity makes an arc or flow difficult to maintain. It is the danger of "themed" shows, either they mesh really well together or they feel a little disjointed. Pop Culture walked the line between the two, but this balancing act be no means distracted from the performances.
As for the performances themselves, I will highlight four of them.
As the first act of the show Dona De Cuori brought back to the stage a number I have reviewed in the past. As Terpsichore, the Greek Muse of Dance, Dona took the audience on musical history tour of popular culture. I feel that this number has greatly improved since I first saw it, the flow was smoother, and the motivations leading to reveals were more clear. As a performer Dona has grown a lot this past year, and I have enjoyed watching this creative journey!
Polly Wood's first number of the evening started the ongoing banter about "sexting" that would provide a tenuous but well used arc for the show. Appearing on stage as a stripper more interested in her cell phone and texts than in removing her clothes for the audience, it takes a rather special message to get her excited about both. A friend of mine once said that the difference between burlesque and "stripping" was that strippers perform for the audience while burlesque perform for themselves. Well in this number Polly stripped for the audience but the texts for her alone. :-)
Lady Tatas presented an act that wins "Most Disturbing Performance" of the evening, and likely one of the most disturbing that I've seen. Period. Tatas comes out on stage in a long sleeved, short skirted ensemble, bedecked in sequins and performance a slightly awkward dance piece to Britney's Like A Circus. At first you're like...WTF? But then down she falls, and out comes Polly Wood as the "quintessential" stage mother, and as money dangles just above reach, and Tatas goes from princess to stripper you realize just what she is commenting on, and while the audience laughed...I shuddered. Well done Tatas, this was a great number, and as social commentary it was excellent.
Evilyn's second piece, proved that as with all aspects of pop culture... not everyone gets the reference, in this case hit television show LOST, Evilyn's number was wildly popular with the crowd, but unfortunately... I didn't know the show well enough to get it. However, after I described the act to my boy, he filled me in, and in retrospect I applaud Evilyn for hitting the nail on the head. I won't ruin any surprises, but if you are a Lost fan, you should definitely see this act. For those who don't know Lost, take a friend who does so they can fill you in. :-)
Sinner Saint's Pop Culture is an evening of performances referencing things well known, and esoteric, obvious and obscure. From favorite childhood Disney films, to Liz Taylor, to Tron... The Sinner Saints cover a lot of ground. It's a ride with several scenic detours, but the journey is both enjoyable and informative, and the destination illuminating.
Loves,
Fosse Jack
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