Show review: Burlesque Nocturne at the Lakewood Theater

Updated 02:49 p.m., October 24, 2009

by Mike Orren

LAKEWOOD — La Divina Productions put on a sizzling-fun burlesque show at the Lakewood Theater Friday night with its fall outing, Burlesque Nocturne.

For the uninitiated, what we're talking about here bares little resemblance to the by-the-numbers strip for cash you'd find at a Gentleman's Club. These lovely lasses aren't surgically-enhanced grinders, but artistes, practicing a form dating back to days when the "tease" in striptease actually meant something. Think feather boas, corsets, and hoopskirts. In this day and age, it's a nearly PG-13 entertainment (g-strings and large pasties), something you wouldn't feel out place taking your best gal to see, as I did. Of course my wife's a burlesque connoisseur -- more on that later.

It was an eclectic crowd nearly filling both levels of the Lakewood, with a healthy number of patrons hailing from local burlesque troupes there to cheer on their friends and pick up some pointers. (Overheard by the missus: "I am SO going to copy those moves in my new routine.) There was lots of colorful vintagewear and I felt a little under-dressed, what with my total lack of tattoos. For those who would look down their nose at a stripping act as sexist, I'd say that the crowd was about 60% female.

Show producer Diamond Jim took the stage in suit and fedora and announced each act with a reserved patois that was more crooner than hypeman. (The missus objected to the fedora, noting that in a real old-time burlyclub, no gentleman would keep his hat on.)

We've seen a couple of the local burlesque troupes and have gone to burlesque clubs in New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans -- and I can definitely say that the quality of the performances, both by touring artists and locals, was superlative. We were especially impressed by some of the intricate and creative costuming. It's clear that while this may not be a day job for most of the performers, there's a passion and attention to detail that shines through each performance.

Standouts included: Kalani Kokonuts, one of the more skilled dancers and current holder of the Ms. Exotic world title; Renea' Le Roux, whose bra-strap marionette move was a sight to see; and La Divina herself, who brought the most enthusiastic crowd response in each of her two numbers.

Midway through the show there was an intermission featuring swing music from Denton's Big Daddy Alright. They came across as a melange of Brian Setzer and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy and set a great mood, although they didn't inspire as much dancing as they'd probably hoped. I was most impressed with the chops of "Guitar George," and not just his mean duck-walk. Turns out they've been around since 2001, so I'm surprised I haven't run across these guys before.

As I mentioned, the missus is a Gypsy Rose Lee-era burlesque fan, so I was particularly interested in her take. Her critique was less of this specific show than the state of burlesque today: The art form dates to an era when a long, slow pull of a glove was scandalous and titilating, something that's hard to replicate in our modern age. So while she thought the acts did a great literal interpretation of old-school striptease, she'd like to see a group this talented take it to a different level, either by upping the sex-factor for today's jaded audience or, better yet, by picking up more of the trappings of old burlesque shows including more verbal comedy and interplay with the live band. The ladies all danced to recorded music, understandable because of the inability to rehearse much with the band, but we were initially excited to see the band set-up onstage and confused when it didn't come into play for more than an hour.

But these are bigger-picture preferences that don't take away a bit from the strong performances and fun show we saw. The crowd would agree, as there was much whooping, catcalling, and some standing ovation throughout the night. And it sounds like La Divina Productions is planning to amp up the verisimilitude as they were hyping an upcoming show including internationally-renowned performer Catherine D’Lish in which they are going to transform The Lizard Lounge back into its original, more Cotton Club-like vibe for one night.

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