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Review Fri Feb 26 2010
Review: The Ripettes' 'Rebels without a Blouse' @ Mary's Attic
The crowd was made up of hep kats and kittens donning their best throw-back rockabilly threads and eagerly awaiting the red-lipped, quick-hipped Ripettes burlesque troupe to take the stage and start their Rebels without a Blouse revue. The show was pure fun: part Benny Hill slapstick, part sexy strip tease with all the energy of a teenager's first sock hop.
The show opened with a high-octane ensemble performance to 'Stray Cat Strut' with The Ripettes dressed appropriately in black leather mini skirts and fishnets. After that, the solo acts were broken up by short skits filled with slapstick and double entrendres, hearkening back to the old vaudeville days. The charismatic Mickey LaRue hosted the show and, as usual, he handled the job (and the hecklers) with charm. There was a great running gag of the ultra prim, heavily English-accented Mickey needing an English to Rockabilly dictionary to decipher what the rest of the hep cast was talking about. He even submitted (eventually) to a greaser makeover by the lovely ladies.
Trixie Darling appeared next wearing a black mourning veil and dress to Elvis' 'Heartbreak Hotel'. As the bluesy number continued, she quickly dried her tears, teased off her sequined petticoat, and slinked into long-limbed splits like a cat. Sushi Martinez and Dixie More danced a campy white trash tango together. Dressed in greasy overalls and a stretched out tank top, Dixie seduced the silk robe wearing Sushi into living together at the trailer park. They celebrated by chugging PBR and munching handfuls of Cheetos. Jeez Loueez, who strutted like she was on a runway, followed with a lithe solo routine to Georgia Lee Brown accompanied by her fringed panties. Horhay Sextaban, resembling a Latin Fonzi, performed a memorable boylesque number complete with Elvis-worthy hip thrusts, power tool props, and strategically placed pasties. In another memorable duet, Jeez Loueez and Trixie Darling performed a fun, bubbly (literally) number to 'Splish Splash' while wearing towel turbans, fluffy robes, and brandishing loofahs. Sushi Martinez, embracing her role as The Ripettes' token sex pot, gave us a routine that inspired teacher fantasies everywhere while wearing (and quickly shucking) a buttoned-up cardigan and slapping lucky spectators' palms with a ruler.
The Ripettes' closed out the show with a pure fun western-themed finale set to 'Rawhide'. All of the girls, decked out in plaid cowboy shirts, black boots, and holding whips, rounded up the cutest guys in the room and roped them like cattle on stage. The audience, even the ones that weren't lucky enough to be lassoed on stage, roared with laughter. The Ripettes' shows never fail to entertain. The troupe strikes a charming balance between both sides of the modern burlesque coin: shtick and sex.
The Ripettes' Rebels without a Blouse ran only one night on February 18th at Mary's Attic (located above Hamburger Mary's at 5400 N Clark Street). For upcoming shows and more information about the sassy burlesque troupe, visit The Ripettes' website and fan them on Facebook.
