Burlesque at the Hard Rock Café

by Jaz Bowens

Photos by Greg Styer

Things got a little steamy this past Sunday at the Hard Rock Café as The Looking Glass Revue presented Fleur Sauvage, a burlesque Show. That was the first burlesque show performed at a Hard Rock Café and for the first time, it was impressive.

Ruby Von Vanity

The audience was not packed but, for a Sunday night, it was understandable. The MC Jayson Simpson and his assistant Ruby Von Vanity got the crowd excited for the show as he joked and presented each performer. The first lady to the stage was Penny Page. She was demure as she glided across stage, as only a burlesque dancer can, and kicked things up a notch with a peak for the audience. With pasties and thongs included of course.

She was followed by The Luvely-Rae and Miss Mika Romantic. Both put on a great show which left much to be desired. Before a comedic break by Ben Fidler, songstress Miss China Doll serenaded the audience. Fidler, a comedian who is part of the Lawnboys (who host an open mic night every Tuesday at Puck in Doylestown) was very funn. He used his real life experiences to connect to the audience.

The drinks were flowing and people started to let lose a little bit during a break before Karnevil’s Arson and Lady Gypsy came out. Karnevil was an experience in itself. Nails hammered into Arson’s nose and a knife down his throat was as frightening as I thought it would get. Lady Gypsy was used as a prop as she held out pencils for Arson to crack the whip on. He was on target every time though. They took it up a notch when balloons were stapled to Gypsy’s back and he used darts to pop them. Staplers were used many times as their performance ended.

Karnevil

Brandi Wine was the second to last performer and she came out with a bright smile ready to perform for the rowdy crowd. Then, the headliner Mika Romantic ended the show with glitz and glam as everyone cheered for her fabulous performance as well as the event as a whole. I was a nice experience in a great setting.

Mika Romantic

There are many burlesque shows around the city. Keep a look out for the next burlesque show to perform in the city. To see what other productions the Looking Glass Revue is putting into works, check them out online.