Pagan Place @ Triple Door

Perhaps one of the best Burlesque shows to grace the Triple Door yet revealed itself last night. Paula, the Swedish Housewife, produced the show, based loosely on a Midsummer Night’s theme. However, the strength of the individual acts surpassed any lack of continuity. It is burlesque after all.

If you had to pick two acts that stood out, I would have to nominate Nanda, a four man dance/acrobatics troupe whose act consisted of fight choreography, acrobatics, juggling, obligatory striptease and some acting. It was both innovative and original. Nanda is a Japanese expletive used to comment on something surprising or outlandish. That barely sums up this act. Nanda are an explosion of energy, masculinity, sensuality, and agility, who will continue to elicit short, sharp breaths from their audience for years to come.

Rounding off the show was local girl, Pantera. Most of the acts in burlesque try to disguise erogony as art, and succeed. Pantera achieved the opposite. Assisted by the type of metal pole more often seen in lap-dancing clubs, Pantera performed gravity-defying feats, with incredible agility, beauty and grace.

The other acts were more regular staples of Seattle’s burgeoning burlesque scene. Lily Verlaine performed the Cleopatra act but it was noted that her two muses, who I last saw a while back, have worked at their craft and improved immensely. Lily looked totally comfortable and confident working with them, and credit must be given to them for their hard work they have put in. It has brought them results.

Ernie von Schmaltz was there, he’s always worth seeing though he was a little less outlandish than normal. Just as well for him, or the bachelorette party in front of us would have got out of control! But this guy at his raunchiest is always worth visiting a show for. Indigo Blue kicked off the show but as a true pro chose not to steal it and the show was humorously hosted by Scotty the Blue Bunny who just about kept a noisy and ebullient crowd at bay, although there were a couple of drunks who took it upon themselves to decide for us all they wanted an act to end early. True they paid their money, but so did everybody else whose choice they attempted to remove.

Burlesque returns to the Triple Door on August 1st, with Alice, Through the Looking Glass, where Lily Verlaine, Bunny Monroe, Miss Indigo Blue, Waxie Moon, The Swedish Housewife, Babette La Fave, Patty O' Furniture and Jasper McCann take on the roles of Carroll’s famous characters.
By Steve Clare of examiner.com