Taking It Off Takes Off

Burlesque ain’t what it used to be. Which is exactly why acclaimed entertainers Reyna Von Vett and Michele Baldwin are converting the Civic Theatre’s Black Box Cabaret into Denver’s newest spot to get cheeky: the Black Box Burlesque. Here Vett is reviving last fall’s Leadville or Bust!,while Baldwin — aka Vivienne VaVoom — hosts a new look at an old art form, V Burlesque.

Less raunch than romp, both shows pay homage to what Von Vett calls authentic period burlesque, with thinly veiled innuendo and double entendre about as close as the audience is going to get to T&A. “What we’re doing would have been absolutely scandalous back in 1935,” says the Las Vegas veteran. “But the shows are mostly naughty, bawdy song and dance; you’re likely to see more sex on prime-time TV.”

Leadville or Bust! repeats at 7 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with Sunday matinees at 2 p.m., through May 31. Burlesque As It Was follows on Friday and Saturday nights at 10 p.m.. Tickets are available at www.ticketswest.com, area King Soopers stores and the Denver Civic box office; more information is available at www.leadvilleorbust.com or www.burlesqueasitwas.com.
Thursdays-Sundays. Starts: March 13. Continues through May 31, 2009