Thu 8/15
Cleveland burlesque performer/producer Bella Sin, aka Cleveland Burlesque Queen, founded the Ohio Burlesque Festival in 2011. What was once a small, one-night show of mostly novice local and regional performers, attended by a handful of people. has grown into a sold-out three-day gala experience featuring a packed roster of national (and international!) stars, along with some of the cream of local and regional performers. Thursday’s show tends to be heavier on locals but that’s an opportunity to revel in how much the area talent pool has grown in the last decade+.
Hosted by L.A.-based Vic Devonne who has frequently performed on burlesque shows here, the evening opened strong with Cleveland’s Shrimp Cocktail and closed with two area headliners, the elegant Empress Dupree and drag king Ryder Slowly. Chicago sent Joona Bae, Mama Disco and Meg Mesmeric to deliver topnotch performances, the latter with multiple hula hoops (Cleveland’s Kitty Deluxe also showed off her hula hoop skills), and New Jersey’s Bola Cherries entertained the audience as one of the “FBI’s most wanted.” In fact, there were too many highlights to mention and not a bad performance all evening. And Friday and Saturday were yet to come. We’ll share those photos next week!
View the PHOTOSTREAM here.
Cleveland, OH 44110