'Burlesque' Was Just Turned Into A Drag Show

As I recently told you, the Cher/Christina Aguilera movie musical Burlesque inspired a drag spoof called Boylesque at the Laurie Beechman Theatre, and there was actually not much difference.

Having just seen the show's final performance, I can tell you that they pretty much kept the plot, so you could wickedly pinch yourself as you recognized all the show biz cliches (over-) baked into it.

But they strategically moved the locale to glamorous Akron.

And this time it was a cross dresser (played by Candi Shell) who longs for stardom at the club owned by Cher (a tongue darting Mimi Imfurst)--or actually, a diva who thinks she's Cher whenever she squints and looks in a mirror.

The same parts that bogged down the movie--mainly involving Christina's generally banal exploits--tended to bog down the show as well.

But the things you laughed at in the movie (the "air rights" plot, the line about painting your face as if it were a canvas) were even funnier here because they were played with an eye toward their humorous absurdity.

It may not have been La Bete, but with a dragged-up cast (including Blackie O) going for broke, Boylesque managed to pour some Tequila in your Cheeerios.