With its final performance at the Cutting Room on Monday, June 11, Tease! A Night of Burlesque can look back at a successful three show run which consistently had crowds cheering and begging for more.
Tease! A Night of Burlesque takes a historic look backwards at this dance style and pays homage to the genre by re-creating the burlesque atmosphere to celebrate one of the world's most famous dance forms with some of today's hottest stage actresses. The Cutting Room's Mint Julep Lounge, with its cabaret style tables and dimly lit smoky atmosphere offers up the perfect setting for the evening's entertainment. There is a vibe of mystery which looms prior to the performance, making audience members wonder what exactly they are in store for. Tease! A Night of Burlesque, hosted by Dominic Nolfi and Daniel Reichard of Jersey Boys and Jalynn Steele from the Fosse International Tour, starts off with a few innocent songs sung by the hosts like "Make Someone Happy," which may cause a few anxious audience members to question when the burlesque performance will begin. However, soon after the "G-rated" songs have concluded, Nolfi and Reichard being singing about "hot dames," explaining how beautiful women are really the only reason any one would come out to see a show in the first place. From there the show is broken down into six different vignettes. "Black and White" takes a glimpse at the earliest form of burlesque as Lucy innocently prepares for a night out. Up next is "Coming Home," which features Shelia as she de-stresses from a hard day at the office. "Groovy Twist" showcases Felicia and Cammy during a night out on the town after one too many drinks. "Satin & Lace" allows the audience to watch as Clarissa tries to find the perfect lingerie for that someone special. "Red Light," highlights Scarlet, a lady of the night, who is searching for her next customer. The show concludes with the number "Tease" where Lucy, Clarissa, Scarlet, Felicia, Cammy and Shelia all come together for one last dance where they tantalize and tease Nolfi and Reichard. 
Tease! A Night of Burlesque, is a fun performance that highlights the sexiness of being covered. With the girls only offering a quick "tease" of what could be and playing with shadows to appropriately cover up or positively accentuate, sensuality is taken to a different level often forgotten about with today's very "in your face, bare it all" attitude. Only giving peeks of what could be, drives the imagination to another level creating a new air of tantalizing mystery. Tease! A Night of Burlesque is a brilliant concoction of great music, entertainment and dancing offered up in a unique atmosphere different from traditional theater. Although burlesque can be considered a bit of a risqué subject for some, Tease! A Night of Burlesque is done with class. All involved in the performance respect the dance's history while managing to have fun with it at the same time. A play on this subject could easily run amuck with it either going too far in the sensuality direction or by being too modest. However, the performance of Tease! A Night of Burlesque balances these two extremes with ease and provides an entertaining night for all. It's hard to tell who's having more fun during the show, the audience or the actors – always a good sign of a great performance. This is certainly one of them.
For continued show information, please visit www.Teaseanightofburlesque.com
Photos by Leon Le
