Wednesday, December 12, 2012

"Homo Erectus" - Fun, sexy burlesque

The Dish:  If you're expecting "Magic Mike," this might not be the show for you, but if you like your burlesque to be a queer mix of sex, humor, gross out, costumes, silliness and fun, you won't go wrong at "Homo Erectus."  This monthly burlesque show at the Stonewall Inn is a fun, wild time. 

Synopsis:  Monthly, mostly male (there is always on female performer for variety) burlesque show featuring some of the best boylesque performers in New York at the home of the gay rights movement, the Stonewall Inn.  Some acts are sexy, some are funny, some are gross, some are acrobatic -- you just never know what you're going to get.  Each show has a theme (October - Boolesque, November - The Bizarre, December - Geeks Out), that loosely ties the show together.

In Depth:  I've seen two "Homo Erectus" shows so far, "Boolesque" and "The Bizarre," and I'm hooked.  It's not just that some of the performers are easy on the eyes (I mean, you can get that from the go-go dancers at any number of bars in town).  It's that they're so damned talented and inventive.

The November show, "Homo Erectus - The Bizarre," featured boylesque legend Tigger! as the host and Lucky Charming as the go-go boy of the night.  Tigger! kicked things off with a funny/creepy bondage number with the aptly named Mr. Gorgeous.  Contortionist Topher Bousquet followed with a number that showed off his flexibility and hula hoop skills.  Matt Knife (creator of "Homo Erectus") then performed a striptease that involved him slowly cutting away parts of his costume to the accompaniment of musicians Fein and Dandee (amazing performers).  Mr. Gorgeous returned, in crab costume, to perform a striptease that ended up with him slathering on suntan lotion.  Bambi Galore, this month's lone female performer, created a truly amazing and horrifying tribute to the late, great Divine.  It could have been a lost scene from "Pink Flamingos," and is probably something I will carry with me to the grave.  Alfie Bunz performed a hilarious mambo-inspired strip tease.  The final act of the evening, Brewster, featured a fascinating and sexy transformation from animal to man.

While Lucky Charming was the go-go dancer for this show (each show featured a go-go boy who starts the show and assists with scene changes, etc.), I would be remiss if I didn't mention that he was a performer in my favorite scene from the October Boolesque show.  He and performer Rique Shaw did a spoof of the "Twilight" films, imaging what might happen when Edward (Charming) and Jacob (Shaw) finally acted on the homoerotic tension between them.  The performance featured the unveiling of a sparkling Edward and an inconvenient transformation of Jacob into wolf form.  Very, very funny.

Another performance that I have to mention from the October show was Foxy Vermouth's strip tease.  Since this was a Halloween show, she wasn't content with just removing her sexy costume during her strip -- she slowly and sexily peeled off her skin as well.  It was a great makeup trick, and perfect for the show.

While reading about burlesque performers isn't quite the same as seeing them live, I hope you've gotten a sense of what to expect from "Homo Erectus" and will stop by for a show.  Their next performance is Thursday, December 13th.  The show, "Homo Erectus - Geeks Out," will be their homage to all things geek and all things Christmas.  I'm excited to see what they come up with.

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