Broadway Bares 23

Have you ever found yourself thinking, "Christopher Sieber is a good actor, but why haven't we ever seen him in bondage gear"?  If so, I hope you attended last night's Broadway Bares, because Sieber, who is probably one of the best sports on Broadway, wore a great outfit during the first number of the show.  And that was just one of the many highlights in this great evening of burlesque featuring some of the most talented actors and dancers in the Broadway community.

This year's theme, The United Strips of America, featured a bawdy tour of the country following boyfriends from each coast (played by Max von Essen and Michael Cusumano) who decide to take a road trip and meet up in America's heartland.

Along the way, they meet a variety of characters and see a lot of nudity.

Every year I'm amazed by the incredible talent on display at this show.  Terrific choreography, great music, talented guest stars, and some of the most stunning dancers in New York.

Among the outstanding numbers were a fashion-inspired New York number; a beautiful dream-like number for Maine featuring a ship captain and a mermaid; some incredible aerialist numbers; a Mormon  wedding (with a passel of wives and the requisite magic underwear); a Latin dance competition for Florida; a sexy cowboy number for Texas; and several other equally great numbers.

While I've always been blown away by the aerialists (and they were amazing), this year's best number was a Vegas number with Max von Essen on a romp right out of The Hangover.  Fun and hilarious.

Soon Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS will announce the amount of money that this year's event raised (and send around some pictures), so stay tuned for the results.  This year's event is looking like it will have raised a record amount.