Burlesque is alive.
That's the message that Red Vaughan Tremmel and Gwen Lis, aka The Sissy Butch Brothers, are promoting.
The Brothers have been working most of the last few years on a documentary about burlesque. The project started when Red stumbled upon a burlesque museum out in the deserts of Nevada. The museum is run by Dixie Storm, the Marilyn Monroe of burlesque. Red fell in love with the art form and due to the age of people like Dixie felt an urgency to tell their stories. Back in Chicago, Red met Gwen who has a background in video editing. They began to work together on the documentary.
While there was still a national burlesque scene, little was going on in the Midwest. The Brothers set about to see what they could do to change that. They sent out an email inviting people to a Burlesque 'Show and Tell' at Star Gaze. After Red's presentation they solicited the audience to find people willing to try performing. The idea was to put on a show and use the proceeds to fund the documentary. Gurlesque Burlesque was born.
The shows have been a huge success and Gurlesque Burlesque, initially conceived to help fund telling the story, is now part of the story. Chicago is now firmly part of the national burlesque scene and the Brothers are able to attract performers like Miss Indigo Blue, Julie Atlas Muz, and Dirty Martini. While the Girlesque Burlesque reviews have gotten bigger, one important facet has not changed. The proceeds are still being used to fund the documentary.
So help preserve the history of burlesque. Get your kiester over to the Gurlesque Burlesque this weekend and fork over the $15. You'll have a blast.
The Sissy Butch Brothers have Gurlesque Burlesque Revues coming up July 16 and 17 (Friday and Saturday). Tickets are $15. Buy your tickets online at www.abbeypub.com as the shows sell out quickly.