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4 Thursday, May 18, 2017 Island Beat Hawaii Tribune-Herald Lady Lily La Douce Gumball Minnie Dixx lots of glitter and sparkles with a fun tiki theme.” This particular show is about her own love for Hilo, Thompson says. “It’s my home and I’m crazy about it. We have a wonderfully weird, funky and special little town. The show is a ‘Wizard of Oz’ tour of Hilo in the way that it has themes of people coming to a strange land, meeting the locals and being introduced to a wonderful new world.” Thompson says some of the performances represent iconic landmarks in Hilo, while others are based in popular activities, culture and cuisine in town. “We’ll also have fun cabaret style songs and lively comedy sketches sewn throughout the show,” she says. The show includes the classical songs “I Want to Learn How to Speak Hawaiian” and “Ukulele Lady” sung by Sister Buffy, accompanied by Walter Greenwood on piano. There also will be striptease numbers by Minnie Dixx and Gumball, Ms. Hot TamaLaeLae, Sandy LesBian, Pauly Hester and Lady Lily La Douce. Every show the Acme Hourglass Burlesque Company produces is set to a different theme — new songs, new jokes and new performers — but follows the same basic format, featuring an eclectic mixture of acts. “Burlesque is satire. Burlesque is parody,” Thompson says. “Burlesque is an alluring opera of desire, it’s a variety show, and I always think it needs a striptease. A striptease is the cherry on top of a sundae.” During the Victorian age, burlesque was a type of theater that parodied wellknown culture such as opera or Shakespeare. Today, Thompson sees interest in this age-old art form growing in Hilo town. “The more choices people have in entertainment, the better,” she says. “I’m offering something different, and I hope people like it. We soon hope to be offering classes and workshops. There’s nothing wrong with adding a little more ‘shimmy and shake’ to Hilo.” For Amber Lopez, aka Hot TamaLaeLae, performing burlesque allows her to fundraise for various community projects she is passionate about. She says she doesn’t spend a lot of time preparing for her acts because she likes her numbers to be fun and fresh. “My debut with Acme Hourglass Burlesque Company was at Jane Wiedlin’s ‘Panty Party,’ a fundraiser for Aloha ‘Ilio Pet Rescue where we raised over $5,000,” says Lopez, who will be performing a tongue-incheek cha-cha for this show. “The last performance (‘Holiday Hangover’) as well as the upcoming show are fundraisers to support the Palace Theater where I serve as a board member. These days, government funding for the arts is being drastically cut, which is why these grassroots community efforts are so important.” Audience members can get into the action, too, at “Ta-Tas & Tantrums” with two audience participation numbers on the program. “We want to see you shimmy and shake,” Thompson says. “The idea is just to have fun, bring a couple of people up and have a few laughs. It’s just to cut the tension.” Thompson says their past burlesque shows went very well. “People loved it,” she says. “We work really hard on our acts, so it means a lot to us that people buy tickets to our show. We want to serve up a quality show, and everybody appreciates quality. Let’s let loose before the weather gets too hot. And if the mood strikes you, there might be (wink, wink) a couple of opportunities to participate.” This event is a benefit for the Palace Theater and is intended for audiences 18 years and older. Pre-sale tickets are $15 general, $25 side reserved and $30 center reserved; all tickets will be $5 more on the day of show. Visit the theater box office from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Monday through Friday or call 934-7010. BURLESQUE From page 2


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