Most burlesque shows feature ensemble casts and if you’re unfamiliar with BurLEZque, they are much like other troupes in that they are a multi-talented group, each with their own distinct style and presence. However, this queer-femme collective is also uniquely thoughtful, thought-provoking, and powerfully subversive. The performers come together to deftly weave an evocative and sensuous journey that entices you along the complexities of queerness in a way that challenges the centring of the male (hetero) gaze. 

Pillow Talk starts with a charming yet hilarious opening that calls out some of the contemporary villains faced by the queer community. In a format that invites the audience to emotionally connect with their own experiences and then the performance that unfolds before them, host Ginger LaMinge eloquently provides prompts in some remarkable monologues. It might seem like you need to be queer-at-heart to truly appreciate the messages but I suspect the heart strings might still feel sympathetically tugged. In an effort to consider the nuanced dynamics within queer relationships and in navigating a society that is not primed for queerness, this show manages to do so deftly, and with kindness and generosity of spirit. 

There are many valuable issues that deserve attention and one might be forgiven for thinking a burlesque show, filled with glorious nudity and sensuous dancing amongst acrobatic feats, frivolity, and striptease, couldn’t possibly navigate too much. If it was a hard task for this collective, they have presented it as if it were a seamless journey for the audience to be teased along. Ava Royale, Ava St. James, Fae Salem, Polly St. Pearl, Sammy Sparkles, and Veruca Sour sexily and ably bring to life each tableux presented by Ginger LaMinge. It is an exquisitely uplifting show fulled with vivaciously sensual queer energy.

For some it may be an educational and sensual Fringe adventure, for others a delightfully saucy queer date promising an embracing and inclusive introspection. This talented and defiant collective features a call to be as boldly embracing in one’s own explorations. The personal is political and they make it sexy.