What says “Seattle” better than videogame-themed burlesque? Not much.
Friday night at the Theatre Off Jackson, Seattlelites were treated to the “nerdlesque” show, JOYstick. The two-hour, sold-out show was exploding with videogame references, from the drink menu featuring cocktails inspired by God of War and Donkey Kong, to the hilariously entertaining emcee who began the show in an all white Assassin’s Creed themed ensemble and later switched to an orange Half-Life themed suit.
It was obvious, the geeks were in charge.
The acts, twelve in total, were delightfully nerd-indulgent. The crowd was hypnotized by a convincing Psycho Mantis (Metal Gear Solid) who brought a gothic twist to the show with an amazing internally-lighted gas mask. We were frozen by a sexy, summoned Shiva (Final Fantasy) who undulated across the stage, leaving glittery-ice in her wake. Metroid’s Samus was not to be missed, with her creative reverse burlesque, ending in full Varia armor.
Dreams were fulfilled, it was like being at ComicCon and seeing all the hottest cosplayers, with the best costumes, dance and cut lose. The audience was insanely excited to finally have all their beloved videogame characters brought to life, acted out, and most importantly, stripped down to their skivvies.
JOYstick, playing for two nights only (last night and tonight) is a hybrid of videogames, cosplay, and, you guessed it, burlesque. The show is a fundraiser for the female-orientated GeekGirlCon (Aug. 11 and 12 in downtown Seattle).
