Alice played by Lou Henry Hoover

Seattle's burgeoning burlesque scene has left more than one frenzied person found left in wonting and hanging in the balance- most of all, anyone who has witnessed an event produced by Lily Verlaine and Jasper McCann. If burlesque productions were a cask of treasures then the cast of "Alice Through The Looking Glass" would most definitely be the crowned jewels. In the words of The Talking Heads, "This ain't no party, This ain't no disco, This ain't no fooling around." This is burlesque as you'd like it see it. It's fun, it's audience feedback inclusive and more importantly, it's sexy. As a fashion designer, I personally found the outfits spot-on, creative and fitted with an arousing mix of zippers and Velcro to classically expose a shapely thigh and torso. Burlesque, in all its glory, I find to be incredibly attractive for what it chooses to omit rather than what it shows. The seduction of a show this caliber is all in the mind, with razor sharp wit and tongue placed firmly in ones cheek.
 

Tristan Uhl and "Cook" played by Babette La Fave.

Far be it from this reporter to ruin a show for you but, I will divulge a select few of the abundantly sexy secrets of this particular presentation. If I were to pick the crowd favorite it would, without a doubt, be Waxie Moon's incomparable representation of the Cheshire Cat, complete with a glimmering, glamour-puss backwards version of a striptease, going from nearly nude to fully be-decked in jewels, leaving you clothed in nothing but a nefarious grin. Of course, then there was the infamous Babette La Fave's provocative and titillating adaptation of "The Jabberwocky," by way of wayang kulit- in layman's terms, an Indonesian style shadow puppet theater. In my eyes, this is the best that burlesque can get, with the illusion of a nubile female silhouette complete with luxe headdress, seductively coaxing a domesticated bird to its worldly demise.  If that doesn't get you salivating like a dog in heat then perhaps the Red Queen-played by Lily Verlaine-ripping the clothes off of the White Queen-played by Bunny Monroe-might entice you?

Waxie Moon as "The Cheshire Cat."

Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming events by Lily Verlaine and Jasper McCann, including but not limited to the annual Seattle, sold-out, burlesque version of "The Nutcracker", sure to get your chestnuts "a-roastin"-you most certainly will not be disappointed.