1.17.07 EDGE New York City Press

This Is Burlesque
by Winnie McCroy
EDGE Contributor
Thursday Jan 17, 2008

Mix the best of burlesque and dinner theatre, throw in a dash of speakeasy ambience, and ta-dah, This is Burlesque, the new weekly revue at SoHo’s Corio club. Since mid-October, downtown "King of Comedy" Murray Hill and the mind-boggling beauty Angie Pontani plus The World Famous Pontani Sisters and other guests have shown a diverse New York audience how burlesque should be done.

The intimate atmosphere of the upstairs lounge at Corio adds much to the speakeasy feel of the joint, and the actor/model wait staff plying the crowd with free shots from the onstage bar doesn’t hurt either. By the time perpetually polyester-clad host Hill takes to the impossibly small stage to sing "When You’re Drinking" with a little soft-shoe accompaniment, the audience is ready to have some fun.

And as crowds go, last Friday nights’ ran hot. Hill’s show always draws a loyal crowd of gay and lesbian fans. That fun-loving group was supplemented by a smattering of hipsters and working stiffs, a large table of married couples, and a raucous bachelorette party from New Jersey, with a token gay boy in tow. This charming, drunken gay restaurateur from Easton, Pennsylvania went on to win the Britney Spears dance-off midway through the show.

Although the lineup changes frequently-Hill promises an entire month of love for Valentine’s Day-the feel remains the same, thanks to the impeccable choreography of neo-burlesque dancer Angie Pontani, and The World Famous Pontani Sisters. Her physique is stunning and her costumes more than a step above the fray, but it is Angie Pontani’s spirit that elevates her performance from imitation to homage. When she moves her lithe body around a feather boa to tantalize while simultaneously ditching a sequined halter top, she makes what is hidden infinitely more exciting than the full monty. She has elevated tease to an art form; she is Gypsy Rose Lee incarnate.

Her sisters Helen and cousin Peekabo Pointe Pontani are not without their charms, either. The petite, tap-dancing blonde (wigs may vary) Helen Pontani satisfies the craving for old-time Hollywood ingénue, with a dash of Betty Boop for good measure. A shuffle-ball-change never looked that sexy in Miss Roberts’ Wednesday afternoon dance class. She goes miles with her perfect white smile and spirit fingers-with her sparkling gold pasties as the perfect wabi-sabi counterpunch.

"[Angie Pontani] has elevated tease to an art form; she is Gypsy Rose Lee incarnate."
Tall sexpot Peekaboo Pointe, a Pontani "cousin" care of Washington, DC, adds a little risqué grit to the evening. Although her elaborate costumes are on par with her cousins, she is markedly more racy, whether she is stripping en ballet pointe, or, more pointedly, shoving her entire fist in her mouth and flashing her cookies at the audience while clad in the tiniest sailor suit known to womankind. Her ability to twirl her tassled pasties at breakneck speed only sweetens the pot.

The Pontani crew works well in both solo acts and as an ensemble, with a Bob Fosse/"Cabaret" type number as the best example of their high level of professionalism. Similarly, Hill, for all his Borsch-belt shtick and crummy impersonations, is showbiz professionalism writ large, playing to the crowd and ensuring everyone has a good time, whether they are laughing at the joke, or are the butt of it. Hill is an equal-opportunity insulter, and none are spared his lighting-fast wit.

That includes himself, of course. Hill sings and shuffles, grinds and thrusts as he brings the girls up to perform "Viva, Viagra!" in honor of their "sponsor," and is in on the laugh when an audience member points out that he has returned from intermission with his fly down. He gleefully serves up shots of Grey Goose to all willing takers, and with a quick quip and a pat on the shoulder, makes the crowd part of the family.

Special guest Miss Saturn treated the audience to her renowned hula-hooping prowess in several acts, and wowed with a skin-tight golden lame suit that accentuated her spectacular body. By the end of the show, all the spinning (or the green room largesse) must have gone to her head, as evidenced by her ebullient turn during the closing number of "New York, New York."

No matter, though. By half past ten, the crowd-well fed on Corio’s impeccable culinary treats, well-lubricated by the free-flowing shots and specialty cocktails, and entertained well past any need to resort to jaded ennui typical of the New York nightclub denizen-was willing to take the tiny stage themselves, to mingle and dance as if a classy evening of dinner theatre and upscale burlesque was all it took to shake the winter blues.

"This is Burlesque" is the real deal, the perfect burlesque show to bring a date and soak up New York nightlife at its best. The show has been extended through March, and choreography and guests vary weekly, so be sure to visit often, and remember to shake before drinking.