Michelle L’amour’s Belles and Whistles! Burlesque Revue Entertainment Art The Music Box Theater Chicago, IL February 14, 2009

As I noted in a previous article, the burlesque community is alive and well in Chicago. Over a dozen troupes perform in and around the city on a weekly basis. Watching the Starlets perform at midnight on Valentine’s Day, however, proved that the community is far more diverse than originally imagined.

While Varietease may have gone for a punk rock show The Starlets go for something far more refined. Watching L’amour show is like being transported back to the days of classical burlesque. I can honestly say I’ve had dreams like the show they put on.

Even before the show started you knew you were in a night of intellectual erotica. The show is a mix of vintage striptease and classic vaudeville acts. This is the sort of erotica even your grandparents would appreciate.

The production quality of the show was outstanding. Considering the troupe was only borrowing the space they used almost every single inch of the stage. Something about the red curtain as a backdrop for the dancers just added to the exquisiteness of the presentation.

The only thing that messed with the flow of the show Friday night was the presentation of two art films by the troupe. Though progressive in nature most of them seemed to be channeling French and German new wave and honestly made very little sense. Overall it was a small blip in an otherwise amazing night. With a little tweaking the film portion of the night could really move the show in a progressive direction.

Fans of “Moulin Rouge” will soak up the atmosphere; the whole night is like one big live action musical. The host for the night was Nadine Dubouis from Minnesota. Not only is she stunning but she can work an audience to her every whim. About half way through the night, the Music Box blew a fuse that among other things included her microphone, rather then interrupt the flow of the show she worked with it and turned it to her advantage. Pulling that off took a skill far beyond simply looking good.

Now comes the best part, the dancers. That is what everyone came to see after all. For those who have never seen a L’ amour show the dancers are top quality. Between Friday and Saturday night The Starlets showed off a wide range of talents and truly knew how to work a crowd. Women like Deidre Doll, Vicky Sin and Ophelia Flame blew the audience away. Sin, for instance, came on stage in a tight, striped jail uniform handcuffed. Over the course her dance she uncuffed herself and played with a ball and chain in one of the most seductive ways I’ve ever seen. There wasn’t a person in the room that didn’t want to jump the stage after her.

Waiting in the wings is the mysterious L’amour. These are her girls and she wants to let them shine. By the end of the night though, she owned the place. The moment L’amour takes the stage the sexual energy in the room goes up at least 10 degrees. Strutting her stuff hard and intense, L’amour will tease to please and bend you to her whim. By the final part of her dance she is sprawled out on an elevated heart shaped bed.

L’amour is the only one of the dancers to bare it all. While all her girls are appropriately covered with pasties L’amour goes the extra mile and takes it all off. Well, she did have some help by mysterious hands that appeared from the heart shaped bed. They not only helped in removing those unnecessary clothes but were also there to assist in a hot sensuous rub down. Once the final applause came she stood on the bed looking lovely like Aphrodite herself on the clamshell.

A burlesque show might not seem like the place to be on Valentine’s Day but those in the audience were there for the same reason the dancers were, to appreciate the female form. L’amour and her troupe embody classical beauty and vintage sexual ideas. So don’t be afraid to take your girl to the next show, she just might be flattered at how romantic and daring you really are.

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