Burlesque Arrives on Vashon: Burlesco Notturno

The faithful readers of Seattlest have seen over the past three months that one of our primary missions is to reassemble the fragments of the local theater scene, to recover from the pervasive fragmentation and factionalism a genuine sense of what theater has to offer. Fortunately there are also artists working in the theatrical arts who are doing the same, not redefining theater with semantics but simply trying to recover it: what used to be theater; what used to appeal to people's minds, hearts, bodies; what audiences and artists have let lie in disuse for years. This spirit of recovering the past has led to a revival in forgotten theater forms like circus, cabaret and burlesque.

On Vashon Island, Open Space for Arts & Community have "quietly" introduced their new burlesque event, Burlesco Notturno, as a speculative effort in this direction. They aim to create a regular series of nouveau burlesque shows that draw from all the grand old traditions that are retained in form and refreshed with new content.

Hosted by Seattle (and Vashon) favorite Kevin Kent and Mme X, Burlesco Notturno aims to preserve the burlesque spirit but also to expand it, not only with musical performances but also with aerial arts performance as well. Chanteuse Rebecca Spencer will add a touch of cabaret with songs orchestrated by her oft-times collaborator Philip Fortenberry. Cellist Jami Sieber will provide aerial artist Esther Edelman with a sensuous soundtrack that hovers somewhere between eerie trance music and the lush beauty of Alan Hovhaness' Yamakochi.

Lest we forget, burlesque owes its strength and its appeal to its comely female performers. As George Jean Nathan once observed, "Literature is an art wherein one observes the effects of the thematic action upon the protagonist's mind. Drama is an art wherein one observes the effects of the thematic action upon the protagonist's heart. Burlesque is an art wherein one observes the effects of the thematic action upon the protagonist's trousers-seat." The thematic action for the night will be provided by the lovely and witty Miss Indigo Blue, star of the Burlesque Nutcracker and elsewhere, and the fantastic Inga Ingénue, recent First Place winner of Las Vegas burlesque competitions. And let's not forget the fabulous house band, choice of burlesque shows all around town, The Zebra Kings, featuring local jazz legend, Jim Knodle.

Seattle's nouveau burlesque tradition is quite strong, with Lily Verlaine's famous shows at The Triple Door playing neatly alongside the more traditional happenings of the Moisture Festival. With the beautiful surroundings of Vashon Island and the sumptuous entertainment all wrapped up so neatly - how can you lose?

Saturday, 8 p.m. // Open Spaces for Arts & Community // 21+ $20, tickets at brownpapertickets.com, booksbytheway, Vashon bookshop