Star Warz Burlesque

The line circled around the block to get into the Music Box Friday night in anticipation of Devil’s Playground’s sold out Star Warz, an evening of burlesque and cabaret. The popularity of the first performance prompted Producer Courtney Cruz to find a larger venue for the encore. Using the Fonda allowed Creative Director Carlos Flores to develop a more robust production with a new set, revamped costumes for the original acts, from new characters (Death Star striptease?) down to Jawa stagehands to immerse the audience into George Lucas’ beloved space opera.

Han Solo’s inner monologue (Mathew McCullum) while suspended in carbonite acted as the night’s MC, introducing each act. I’ve always wondered what Han was thinking frozen in his captive state, and I was more than eager to see the girls bare all for a very eager audience.

First up was the Sith Lord Darth Vader (Charlotte La Belle). She spun her cape and stripped down to disco with light saber in hand, followed by doing the Charleston to the Mos Eisley Cantina theme. There was no doubt the Dark Lord knows how to handle her light saber and was not shy to show what she can do with it.

A shadowy figure then emerged from the audience and it was none other than Han Solo’s captor, Boba Fett (Audrey DeLuxe) who surveyed the scene before shimmying her jet pack off — much to the audience’s delight. As more was revealed of the bounty hunter, I couldn’t help but wish I had a bounty on my head.

Back on stage, the silhouette of a familiar figure behind a scrim appeared and C3PO (Lucy Fur) emerged. I’m sure I’d lift any droid ban in my bar after seeing 3PO’s clever cable corset that was quickly thrown off and while never breaking the droid’s robotic movements as she gyrated fringe and tassels all over the stage to Kraftwerk. I was never too fond of the protocol droid, but her extended tassel twisting certainly got my panties in a twist.

Immediately after 3PO’s exit, the motionless R2D2 (Sin Fisted) sprang to life when the front panel of Star Wars’ beloved droid broke free from her confining shell. She went wild, stripping herself from her cable confines and contorting herself, confusing limb from lines. It didn’t take her long to make it to the pole to and spin to the music, alternately contorting and climbing to take more spins around the pole.

After a brief intermission, we were taken to Jabba the Hutt’s lair as a cloaked figure lurked amongst audience members. Scarlet O’Gasm put any doubts of a sexy Hutt to rest as she seductively writhed and wriggled within a cocoon of balloons before emerging with several balloons attached all over her body. She then proceeded to teasingly pop them one by one, with help a Gorg to reveal a barely there chain bikini.

The cloaked figure soon emerged to grab hold of the chain around Jabba’s neck, and proceeded to drag the stripped down gangster away. As this was happening, I became giddier by the minute at the thought witnessing the ultimate role reversal of master and slave as the cloaked figure revealed herself as Slave Leia (Olivia Bellafontaine). No longer the only Star Wars fantasy figure, the bikini-clad rebel had her work cut out for her and proved to us there was even more to be lusted over in this Alderaan princess as she rocked her hairography and showed off her flexibility to Sweet Tooth by Marilyn Manson.

New to the Star Warz show, Daisy Meadows developed her Chewy routine after seeing the original performance at Bordello, and incorporated bathing in a claw foot tub, reminiscent of burlesque routines of old. It was difficult to imagine a Chewbacca routine that wouldn’t involve Wookiee shaving, and we got just that — our favorite Wookiee sharing an intimate moment as she bathed and shaved all that fur away… while never taking off the mask.

It was useless for me to even attempt at keeping with the storyline at this point of the show as it came time to what everyone was waiting for: the emergence of the show’s mascot Courtney Cruz as an Imperial Stormtrooper. The crowd went wild, as this clone was unlike any other as she slowly and removed one piece of armor at a time before ending her routine with a bang of her glitter cannon into the audience.

Not to be upstaged by her predecessor, the Death Star appeared from the back of the stage. The battle station then sprouted long, sexy legs as it floated and spun through space until it exploded to reveal an Imperial Guard (Miss Mia Vixen). The use of an umbrella to represent the Death Star blew my mind – using the underside of the umbrella to reveal the explosion of the Death Star as well as the burlesque dancer.

It was more than apparent the Fonda was filled with devout fans of the Star Wars franchise, as evidenced by audience members dressing in character for the show. It was also clear the women on the stage had a love and appreciation for the series as well, as it showed in the attention they put to their costumes and mannerisms (C3PO still moving in her awkward, jerky motion well after curtain call), something that made the evening that much more enjoyable.

If the ladies of Devil’s Playground are as big comic book nerds as they are Star Wars nerds (and it seemed like they do with their teaser glimpse of Catwoman on the alcove), we’ll all be in for a treat when they present Comic Book Vixens on June 20.

Corazon Rios (@lessthan3isme) has lived in the L.A. area for most of her life. She’s a self-described overexcitable fangirl of life trying to follow her bliss. A connoisseur of the fabulous in town and geek in her own right, we recruited her on Twitter to cover the Star Warz burlesque show on our behalf.

Image from Courtney Cruz.