Burleso Notturno, a burlesque series that debuted last May, will return to the Island with a new slate of saucy performers this Saturday.

The series is the brainchild of Open Space founder Janet McAlpin, who is known on Vashon and beyond for a breathtaking array of circus skills that include stilt-walking, aerial work, clowning and trapeze performances.

McAlpin, set to perform in the show as Burleso Notturno’s  hostess Madame X, has invited a group of provocative performers to join her on Open Space’s stage for the adult evening of entertainment.

The show — simply titled “Wet” — will feature plenty of slippery fun.

Guest Lily Verlaine, an acclaimed burlesque artist and classical dancer, will perform a sudsy act that provocatively takes place in a bathtub.

Verlaine’s influence as a burlesque star extends from her performance at the 2011 Burlesque Hall of Fame to her role in the nationally distributed documentary “A Wink and a Smile,” a film by Deirdre Timmons.

There will also be a performance by The Shanghai Pearl, a Seattle solo act who bills herself as “The Tantalizing Tease from Taipei, Tempestuous Temple of Temptation and Princess of Pulchritude.” During Saturday’s show, she will perform a mermaid dance.

Another guest star, Liza Rose, is an aerialist with a background that includes modern dance, Filipino martial arts, Commedia dell’Arte, yoga, gymnastics and stunt training.

“Wet” will also showcase the talents of the The Bellini Twins, a duo that has performed on Jay Leno’s Tonight Show and at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The pair’s act includes a gravity-defying plate-spinning routine, a glow-in-the-dark optical illusion called “Neonman,” a comical ballet parody and other outlandish amusements.

Rouge, a French band, will provide caberet music suiting the sexy theme of the evening, and David Godsey, a versatile performer best known these days for his starring role in Vashon’s variety show, The Church of Great Rain, will also have a hand in the proceedings.

 

“Wet” will take place at 8 p.m. Saturday, at Open Space for Art & Community. The door will open at 7 p.m. Tickets, $20, are on sale at Vashon Bookshop and www.brownpapertickets.com. The show is for ages 21 and older. For more information, visit www.openspacevashon.com.

 

Contact Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber Arts Editor Elizabeth Shepherd at arts@vashonbeachcomber.com or 206-463-9195.

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