Game of Thrones burlesque comes to George R.R. Martin’s hometown
By Dan Selcke
Burlesque is Coming, a Game of Thrones-themed burlesque act put together by Blacklist Burlesque, will be doing a show tonight and tomorrow at the Jean Cocteau Cinema, the Santa Fe movie theater owned by George R.R. Martin.
If you’re not familiar with burlesque, let me fill you in a bit: it’s a sort of performance art that involves strip-tease, parody, and very often pasties. It’s not quite sketch comedy, but it’s not quite stripping, either. When it involves performers doing dances based on nerd-friendly properties, it is known as “nerd-lesque.” (Some samples courtesy of Chicago-based burlesque group Gorilla Tango: a Star Wars burlesque called “A Nude Hope,” and a Ghostbusters burlesque named “Ghostbusty.”)
Maybe a visual demonstration is best. Here’s a video of burlesque performer Poisonne doing a strip-tease while dressed as Viserys Targaryen. It ends with a guy dressed as Khal Drogo upending a pot full of golden glitter on her head—that should give you an idea of the sexy/absurd nature of this stuff. PNSFW (Probably Not Safe For Work).
Martin saw a member of the Blacklist Burlesque crew perform at a Seattle convention and asked the group to bring the show to Santa Fe, where it’s being billed as “the only burlesque tribute personally approved by Game of Thrones author George R. R. Martin.” Not a tagline if you can get it.
Bree MaDonna portrays Brienne of Tarth in a show by Blacklist Burlesque. (Photo by P.D. Murphy Photography)
According to the show’s producer, the cast had a minor meltdown when they heard about the offer: one performer cried, another nearly fainted, and a third “rolled on the floor in ecstatic disbelief.” After all, burlesque shows like this are usually loving homages first and strip shows second, so it makes sense that the cast would be so thrilled. If you happen to live near Santa Fe, tickets are available here.