Burlesque Show

Burlesque; a humorous and provocative stage show featuring slapstick humor, comic skits, bawdy songs, striptease acts, and a scantily clad female chorus. Debauchery is a fun word.

Blend this style of stage show with historical Downtown Denver, and you get Naughty Pierre's Burlesque Extravaganza - a comedy show for the 21 and up crowd. Definitely not for the prude of heart.

I blame this adventure on the euphemism "Curiosity killed the cat" (see, Kat). At least, that's how I think I ended up in the basement of the D&F Clock Tower in downtown Denver.

Take a blast to the past with me now, and experience a modern day Burlesque show. Be sure to keep your hands and feet inside the Internet at all times, and keep your margarita and noisemaker in the upright and locked position.

The Venue

Once a department store that was demolished at the end of the department store era, the tower remains as a historical landmark. It's really a beautiful site downtown, with the time displayed in all four directions, and a magnificent chime to be heard throughout Denver.



Now that the tower is there, with nothing to sell us, it has been used for other applications - such as businesses and lofts. One of the uses after dark is the stage in the basement used to entertain, amuse, and inebriate those interested in a show of varying types. Decorated in mirrors, gold, tassels, and sparkles, the intimate room fits about 50 patrons, who will – I believe the technical term is “hoot 'n holler” through the shows.

Why it's Enjoyable

On romantic dates, finding a safe balance between both parties' idea of entertainment can be a challenge – guys are not generally eager to see Phantom of the Opera, as women are sometimes less into a basketball game. Something like this variety show balances nicely, with flavors of entertainment for both parties involved. Yes, I was on a date if you must know, with a gentleman, we went to the theater together. /Moneypenny.

Would you like a history lesson on Burlesque, as provided by Wikipedia? It's not as dirty as it sounds, really!



A burlesque show is not a strip club – Strip clubs tend to be seedy, smelly, and cater to single men looking to lose a fair amount of money - people are definitely lying if they say they go for the food. Burlesque is much more classy, lacking full nudity, but delivering enough to keep everyone whistling and twirling their noisemakers. Between the dancers, there is a comedic announcer – this is where “Naughty Pierre” comes in.

The Spice of Life...

Every part of the show was something different - with different girls, different music, and even different pasties. A wide variety of acts took place on stage; from singing and dancing, to classy striptease (complete with glitter, and feathers), and amazing acrobatics. Talent is the idea here, unlike the modern day strip clubs that leave nothing to the imagination.

The night I went, there was even a guest act by The Handsome Little Devils, who appeared to be a carnival style variety act of their own - they showed off hat tricks that were amazing and humorous , and a dancing skit with some kind of mad scientist and wonderful swing dancing.

For those of us in the crowd less interested in “scantily clad dancers,” the host was a brilliant comic, who introduced the different acts, had a bit of singing and stage time of his own. The idea of a variety show is...well, variety. So, to help Naughty Pierre in his entertaining ways, he had a puppet show featuring a “smewok” - the strange combination between an Ewok and a Smurf, and of course - sex jokes galore. I was thoroughly captivated the entire evening, so I'd say they completed their task nicely.

Now imagine me, only becoming a stage perv... I mean, stage connoisseur.

The images were not mine this time. My camera was left in the car, which was parked far away. I am, indeed, making excuses for forgetting it. Also, since I appear to have left out details, Margaritas are bad for ones memory.