BurlyQuest Burlesque Brought ’80s Fantasy Favorites to Life

Daniel SliwaCulture

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The performers of the Hollywood Jane Revue has proven themselves to be masters when it comes to themed burlesque. The revue takes the classic performance cycle format and integrates a new concept for the performers to play out onstage. At Burlyquest on Tuesday, the troupe flexed its creative muscle in terms of routine conception, song pairing and flexibility in tone.

The show opened with musical parody duo Library Bards turning modern pop hits into nerd anthems; for instance, Miley Cyrus' “Wrecking Ball” became “PokeBall.” But the show that followed served up more obscure '80s fantasy. The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit were obvious inclusions, but the surprise was in seeing sendups of Highlander and Legend (an underrated Ridley Scott classic). Even Artax's horrific death scene from The Neverending Story made it into the mix.

The troupe demonstrated a new level of maturity, taking on Tolkien with one performer as Smeagol and producer Blanche Bourgeois as Smaug, performing a fiery fan routine. Two different interpretations from one writer's catalog, both handled expertly.

All photos by Daniel Sliwa

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