September 13, 2002- The current revival of burlesque around the country is evident here in our own backyard, with the ladies of the local Burlesque
As It Was troupe bopping around town, spicing up everything from club openings to punk rock shows.

But tonight at the Ogden Theatre, the Burlesque Fest is bringing in various nationally known acts who promise to elevate the art of old-time striptease to a level as yet unseen here in the Mile High City.

Jerri Thiel of Ogden proprietor Nobody In Particular Presents is the organizer of the event. She says she plans to give the Ogden a retro makeover. Starting with a circus-tented entrance, the East Colfax Avenue venue will be done up with cabaret-style seating, popcorn carts, and cigarette girls.

"I'm going for a time-warp kind of feeling," she explains. "I want this to look like a 1940s peep show with a carnival flair."

The idea began when Thiel first read about the Pussycat Dolls, an L.A. troupe that has charmed Hollywood for years with their burlesque revue, attracting guest performers such as Carmen Electra, Charlize Theron, and Gwen Stefani. Always on the lookout for new ideas for the entertainment scene, she joined Michelle
Baldwin of Denver's Burlesque As It Was to put together a full-fledged burlesque festival.

Headlining the show tonight is Dita Von Teese, a modern-day Betty Page who has cultivated a faithful following as a retro and fetish pin-up model and showgirl. Dita's lavish costumes and full-time devotion to '30s and '40s clothing and lingerie - not to mention her voluptuous figure and teensy 16-inch waist - evoke a seductively vintage air of glamour during her solo performances.

Also appearing is the flirtatious Miss Kitten on the Keys, who does a saucy song-and-stripdance show, performing on a piano, ukulele, and accordion before launching into her bawdy rendition of Shirley Temple's "Good Ship Lollipop."

On the opposite end of the burlesque spectrum, the tattooed, weapon-wielding Gun Street Girls add a bit of raunchiness to the show. Self-proclaimed "pulp vixens" from Seattle, the gals twirl revolvers and spew fake blood as they perform their classic dances to good ol' rock & roll.

Dancers from the local Burlesque As It Was troupe will open the show, and Oracle Dance adds trapeze artists and acrobats. And if that's not enough, Radio 1190's Ukulele Loki will camp it up as emcee for the night, and DeVotchKa's peculiar brand of Slavic circus-rock will keep the crowd entertained between sets.

The Burlesque Fest, 7:30 tonight at the Ogden Theater, $15,
ages 21-plus, TicketWeb.