I believe Axl Rose said it best back in 1987 – “Take me down to Paradise City where the grass is green and the girls are pretty.” This is what I think of when a burlesque shows heads into town. However, you receive so much more, especially with the brand new show ‘Texas Star Burlesque‘ had their first extravaganza in the historic Deep Ellum neighborhood of Downtown Dallas on July Saturday the 14th at Trees. Not only are the people devastatingly beautiful, and while there wasn’t green grass inside of Trees, you can sense the paradise and glistening stage and lights that amplified these talented performers. When the music hit the sold-out crowd, the cheers were turned up to 11, and the lights were as bright as they could be, you could feel the sense of joy wonder and excitement between everyone in attendance. It was truly a Paradise City.
Texas Star Burlesque’s first show, titled The Belles of Burlesque was knocked out of the park by the professional staff and amazing performances by a nationwide cast. If this is anything of what’s to come with future shows (December 15th), you can expect something special and beyond your wildest dreams.
The two heads of Texas Star Burlesque are no stranger to the burlesque world. The engaging married couple Tony and Sherri Bazan have been attending burlesque shows for a number of years across the nation. The power duo has made contacts and friends along their travels and started to be told that they, in fact, should start their own burlesque show, since they know the ropes and have a great attitude about everything. I had the please to speak with both Tony and Sherri and that couldn’t be further from the truth. Instantly, both Tony and Sherri’s faces light up when talking about the stage and burlesque.
They sincerely have a passion for the business and production and decided to take that risk and “cowboy” courage and put on their own show. The two have taken a lot of thought and planning into their Belles of Burlesque show, as they have taken their cues from past events of what they loved about each show and combined them into one. The seating was comfortable and the VIP section was fully catered, candle-lit, and even had some of the performers do a meet and greet with these guests. It was a classy affair for sure. It also showed that Tony and Sherri had a lot of respect for their cast of performers and vice versa, as per the pre-show toast where everyone sang praises and that everyone was a true family.
But onto the show at hand, which had the audience riveting for each performer was honestly satisfying. The executive producer/creative director Tifa Tittlywinks also served as the show host with tons of jokes, dancing, and humor. She kept the show running on schedule and full of life, never creating a dull moment. Tifa is a woman of many hats, and she wears them all well.
To start the show, Miss Donna Denise had a remarkable performance as she stunned the crowd and brought them to their feet with her teasing, incredible costume and ability to flex and move her certain parts of her anatomy at here will. It was hypnotizing and impressive. Another great segment was that of Ben Kirsch, who got on stage, used one of those leaf blowers and rocked out with the wind blowing his long hair in every direction. After this, he took the leaf blower and blew up a giant balloon, which is where the magic really happened.
We also got a lovely performance from hometown girl Ginger Valentine, who journeyed from the West Coast and performed a classic routine, which was delightful and delicious. Other performances by Lascivious Lark, Ickymuffin, Black Orchid’s hula hoop execution, and co-headliner Bunny Galore were all equally impressive and a solid hit. Showstopper Red Snapper had the audience cheering loud, as did her very own line of paperweights molded and modeled after her dairy aire. Needless to say, this Burlesque production had it all and then some.
Texas Star Burlesque has started a fire that won’t be burning out any time soon and if they continue to have this much passion and talent at their shows, I foresee this production being the prominent go-to show in the region. It’s a MUST-SEE. Their next show is scheduled for December 15th, and you can best believe I will be taking that trip to Paradise City once again.