The highly-anticipated third event in Deanna Danger Productions‘ ongoing Byrlesque at The Byrd series, “Byrds of Paradise,” will be flying across stage of The Byrd Theatre in Carytown this Sunday, April 28th. This production promises to be the most extravagant and talent-filled to date, and will be an all bird-themed classic burlesque and vaudeville showcase.
The highly-anticipated third event in Deanna Danger Productions‘ ongoing Byrlesque at The Byrd series, “Byrds of Paradise,” will be flying across stage of The Byrd Theatre in Carytown this Sunday, April 28th. This production promises to be the most extravagant and talent-filled to date, and will be an all bird-themed classic burlesque and vaudeville showcase.
You may ask–“Why birds?” To Deanna Danger, owner and operator of her eponymous production company, it seemed obvious to have a bird-themed edition of Byrlesque at The Byrd. “I was just like Byrd, Byrd, Byrd, Byrd–birds, duh… I’ve never seen a whole unique show on all birds,” said Danger. It is fitting the production will be staged in spring, after a long cold winter, as now in the sky you can find birds returning home to Richmond.
Photo by Jamie Betts
One of these birds in particular will excite fans of local burlesque. Hometown favorite Miss Boo Boo Darlin’ will be in the show after not appearing locally since moving to New York a year and a half ago. The show will also feature The Muse and The Red Huntress, sisters and former VCU Dance majors, who have been involved in the Richmond Burlesque community since it took off six years ago. The evening will also offer performances by burlesque dancers from all over the region, including Raleigh, NC’s Porcelain, Norfolk’s Lily Liqueur, and Sirena Santina of Knoxville, TN. Plus, there will be a special appearance by award-winning NYC-based burlesque performer Amber Ray.
Byrlesque At The Byrd is presented in the mainstream burlesque style that is popular up and down the East Coast. Therefore it will not only feature expensive, extravagant, professional grade costumery, but will also incorporate significant elements of vaudeville. Danger explained how she incorporated vaudeville into the show.
“My show host, [Mark Slomski], is a vaudeville singer and performer,” said Danger. “I’ve got my two old birds in the balcony… Virginia FilmRoasters, they play two crotchety old men that have been stuck up on the Byrd balcony since thirty years ago… They have a lot of vaudeville shtick that goes back and forth.” The evening will begin with a 30-minute introductory reel of clips from bird-themed movies, with commentary and “roasting” from the FilmRoasters. The Byrlesque at the Byrd shows have been very interactive by nature, and Danger promises that it will be “an evening of experience… [that] takes you into another world.” She also assures us that we can expect performances that explore the bird theme in a variety of ways. “You can’t just have regular old feather fan dances–it’s got to be lots of different varieties of burlesque dancing to keep it interesting.”
To ensure a wonderful night out, Deanna Danger Productions has teamed up with local businesses of Carytown, such as New York Deli and Bygones. New York Deli is offering ten percent off your meal if you show your pre-sale ticket. People can go to the Deli beforehand and eat a meal, watch the show at The Byrd, then afterwards head back to the Deli for the official Byrlesque At The Byrd afterparty–where they’ll be able to get drinks with the cast and dance to funk/disco tunes spun by DJ Scarey Pete. People are also encouraged to dress in vintage or cocktail attire, and as a perk for appropriately attired patrons, Bygones, located next door to the Byrd at 2916 W. Cary St., will be offering 10% off any feather headdress in the store at time of purchase of a pre-sale ticket for the show. So primp those feathers and get ready for an extravagant evening of classic burlesque and Vaudeville.
“Byrlesque At The Byrd: Byrds Of Paradise” takes place on Sunday, April 28 at The Byrd Theatre, located at 2908 W. Cary St. Doors open at 730 pm and the show begins at 8 pm. Admission is $12, and tickets can be purchased at Bygones in Carytown, or online by clicking HERE. Or, if you’re really lucky, you could go see this show for free! Your friends at RVA Magazine are giving away a pair of tickets to Byrlesque At The Byrd: Byrds Of Paradise, and all you have to do to enter the drawing is enter your info into the fancy widget below! You’ve got until 5 PM on Friday, April 26 to enter, but don’t delay–enter now, and keep an eye out for extra opportunities to win!
