Burlesque Is Alive and Well And Playing in New York

You're not just a triple threat, you're a quadruple one: you act, sing, dance, and juggle. Or you do magic. Or maybe you eat fire. Whatever your obscure or specialty talent, the burgeoning neo-burlesque movement wants you.

But what exactly is burlesque? How does it differ from vaudeville and why its sudden renaissance? In general, when people think burlesque, they think strippers, feathers, and the musical Gypsy. My dictionary defines burlesque as "theatrical entertainment of a broadly humorous, often earthy character consisting of short turns, comic skits, and, sometimes, striptease acts."

According to burlesque scholar Andy Davis, "Burlesque was an oral tradition; scenes were passed on without scripts, performers learned the skills and business from watching other artists. Burlesque originally spanned 1900-1930, with its peak being the teens. While vaudeville attempted to duplicate the popular live entertainment of the day—'The Ziegfeld Follies,' 'George White's Scandals,' etc.—and offer it at a lower price, burlesque differentiated itself by adding a large element of sex and low comedy. It came out of men's clubs and was very male as opposed to family oriented. And, of course, strippers known as burlesque dancers were an important part of the bill. They weren't like contemporary strippers; they were funny, glamorous, and sexy, often voluptuous, and boasted gimmicks. They weren't just taking their clothes off; they were offering a real act.

"Burlesque's recent resurgence in popularity is due to a number of factors. It's a fusion of popular entertainments: stand-up and sketch comedy, singers, novelty acts, and, of course, burlesque dancers. It's the natural descendant of '80s performance art, and also part of the PC backlash."

In New York, Mayor Giuliani's crackdown on adult establishments and his infamous 60/40 law (which demands that 60% of every adult business be non-sexual in nature) have clearly paved the way for the burlesque rebellion. Audiences are thirsty for risqué entertainment, and performers want to push the envelope. Many burlesque performers are able to make their living off their acts and perform in a variety of venues both high and lowbrow: everything from The Greatest Bar on Earth to Galapagos to Surf Reality to The Supper Club. Even comic Jackie Mason is planning a return to Broadway in a burlesque variety show, tentatively titled "Scandals," which he vows will "bring back the glory days of burlesque comedy." Outside of NYC, troupes like "The Bindlestiff Family Cirkus" tour the U.S. playing bars and clubs, attempting to create a neo-burlesque circuit reminiscent of burlesque's heyday, when acts played national burlesque theatres.

Back Stage recently spoke with eight NYC-based burlesque/vaudeville entrepreneurs about this renewed cultural phenomenon, their