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Closing (Theater and Galleries) New Review (Theater and Comedy) The Short List (Theater)
Strip of the Tongue: A Study of Contemporary American Burlesque

When: Fridays. Continues through Jan. 4 2013
Price: $15

Don't be fooled by nerd-burlesque's playful, comic disguise. Written by Amanda Williams and based on interviews, this set of monologues tells tales of aggrieved amateur tassel-twirlers. Foes abound: cruel directors, boorish audiences, judgmental feminists--and, of course, the enemy within, self-consciousness. So why do it at all? Rachel Craig comes the closest to providing an answer. Dishing out stage presence in exchange for our rapt attention, her performance as Lola Leggs demonstrates what the script never says outright: that feeling sexy equals being sexy. It also offers the politically incorrect corollary that having a killer body doesn't hurt. Megan Francomb directs a cast so studiously diverse that it includes (who knew?) a boylesque dancer. --Keith Griffith