When you hear that there's going to be a burlesque show at Churchill's Pub, you might wonder: Who do they think they are, Moulin Rouge? And if you've never been to Churchill's Pub, we highly suggest it for
many reasons. Sure, it's not in the best part of town and it looks a little
sketch from outside, but it's probably one of the best drinking spots in
Miami. Not only does 50% of their staff have accents, but the drinks are
cheap (and we mean cheap).
Last night, the pub and Dangerfun Entertainment hosted a variety show called the Millionaire Tramps Vaudeville Debut. The night started out
with a semi-burlesque little dance, then quickly changed over to stand-up, which lead to a sketch comedy show. The comedy was very Whose Line Is It Anyway? with bits on "a day in the life of a pimp" or "the principal's office,"
but much, much dirtier and with a lot more cursing (which is exactly why we
loved every sleazy minute of it).
Quickly moving away from the funny, a local band (which included a spoons player) did a few songs. At this point, we were all wondering where the evening would go. With a member of the Churchill's staff on bass and the singer and guitar player rocking painted-on hobo beards, the band went from playing a little jig to the guitar player doing a balancing act with a cut up pipe. He only fell once, so we think it might be time for him -- and his bandmate lying on a bed of nails -- to join the circus.
Throughout the night, ladies in very little clothing would join the stage, sometimes rocking out with the band, but then quickly run backstage. And then, all of a sudden, the comedians from earlier in the evening abruptly started stripping down to their undies. Hellion Burlesque dancer Betty Pickle promised us guerrilla burlesque, and it was just that.
Coming out strong in true burlesque fashion, the brunette Ginger Bardot (who was just on stage doing a sketch routine) was now tearing it up with her own version of "El Tango de Roxanne." With her black and red costume that looked straight out of Moulin Rouge and her natural ability to take her clothes off, we were all pretty shocked at the range of talent going on at a bar where you can wear gym shorts and sandals. It kinda makes you wonder how this multi-talented motley crew got together.
Earlier in the night, the whole show didn't really make sense. But once the burlesque started, it all started to come together. This was a 100% old school variety show. And the comedians/dancers, doing what they call "grotesque burlesque," were pretty impressive. Great costumes, performances and the ladies weren't too hard on the eyes either. All in all, in the words of Churchill himself, it was a bloody good time.
See the full Millionaire Tramps Vaudeville Debut slideshow here.