Nerdlesque is a bi-monthly burlesque review with a different nerd culture theme each time around. Last month they did a comic book motif, and this time it was video games. Yes, this means exactly what you hope it does: Attractive women dressed up like video game characters, who then strip out of their costumes. A winner is you!
The show is hosted by the duo of Dick E. Lovejoy and Makin’ Whoopee who provided funny gaming banter between acts, and had an audience-interactive segment where audience members could fire plush Angry Birds toys at Lovejoy who would then have to remove items of clothing. The contestants ran out of avian ammo before the disrobing went too far; your sexual preference will determine whether or not that’s a bad thing.
Because it was over 100 degrees in New York City on the
night of the performance, the hosts got the show off to a quick start with
little patter. This time around
there were five performers, including a couple of familiar faces from last
month. The act that was closest you what you’d expect was Luna
Chase who dressed as a sexy version of Link from Legend of Zelda. From
her elf ears to her Tri Force pasties, she was every geek’s fantasy of a hot
cosplayer who’s willing to let you see her (Almost) naked.
Some of the acts took a more abstract approach, like Dangrrr Doll who danced to the Tetris theme, and wore a costume patterned after Tetris blocks. She peeled these away right down to a pair of strategically-place Nintendo cartages, and an old NES controller carefully placed as a g-string. G-strings and pasties are as naked as it got for the evening, no one went entirely nude, which kept the evening respectable.
A new performer for Nerdlesque was Evelyn Vnyl who was dressed as an imp from DOOM, complete with fireballs to throw. While imps aren’t inherently sexy, it was nice to see the performers avoiding the obvious “Lara Croft” choices in costumes.
A funny take on the premise was Iris Explosion who dressed as Ms. Pac Man (Yellow dress, Big hairbow), and danced to Hungry For Love, while chomping on marshmallows that she produced from various parts of her outfit.
Lilly Stitches, also appearing for the first time at Nerdlesque, performed the nerdiest routine of the night when she danced to “Video Game Girl”. She gets bonus Geek Points for using a Nerf Herder song, and for peeling off her street clothes to reveal Yuna’s Gunner outfit from FFX-2.
The acts are sexy, but not pornographic and while you probably can’t bring your Mom to it, you can certainly see it without having to wear a disguise. The audience is composed of young hipsters, not smelly old perverts. It's a worthwhile use of your time and money if you’re a gamer or a burlesque fan. Attendees are invited to stay for an after party following the show where games of “Strip Mario Kart” are played for those adventurous enough to participate. Nerdlesque is performed every other month in New York City, and this time it was part of the Brick Theater's Game Play Theater Festival. More about upcoming performances can be found on their Facebook page.