A Shamelessly Hot festival of puppets, magic shows, burlesque – for adults only
Shamelessly Hot’s third annual Spooktacular Festival isn’t your usual Halloween festival, for several reasons.
▪ It includes a puppet show and magic – but it’s not for kids. The festival is designed for a mature audience, ages 21 and older.
▪ The festival opens today, Thursday, Sept. 29 and runs through Sat., Oct. 1, making it among the earliest Halloween events of the year.
▪ The festival includes burlesque, sideshow and vaudeville acts.
“The hand-picked selection of our favorite performers is on display via three days of unique events,” said Mark Plessinger of Shamelessly Hot.
“Spooktacular is a performing arts festival. So this is a multigenre performing arts Halloween celebration – complete with puppetry, magic, cabaret singing, belly dancing, comedy, sideshow and burlesque.”
Events include the Caterwaul Cabaret, sh Salon, Xtra Sketchy’s and Shamelessly Hot’s Spooktacular Big Show.
“Each event offers you an opportunity to experience unique talents for your mature spectating pleasure,” Plessinger said.
Thursday, the Caterwaul Cabaret is billed as a “darkened cabinet of curiosities full of chills, spills and thrills.” It includes a variety of short puppetry vignettes with special guest Lulu The Kitty Cat Clown performing physical feats of equilibristics. 8-11 p.m. at Columbia Music Festival Association, 914 Pulaski St.
Friday, sh Salon Spooktacular features Ooops the Clown, Cherry Brown, Charlotte Truese, Dante el Dante, special guest The Famous Mr. Cheeze, and Chef Blake Fairies of SEA/&/SALT. 8-10 p.m. at Frame of Mind, 140 State St., West Columbia.
“sh Salon Spooktacular is the Halloween edition of our infamous boutique series, but on steroids,” Plessinger said, noting the event includes gourmet food, wine, intimate performance experience, and a performer Q&A.
Saturday, the Xtra Sketchy’s Cabaret Life Drawing and Brunch features Salome Cabaret’s Kisa Von Teasa. This includes drawing, drinks and food – “an unbeatable combination for those with a thirst for the artistic touch,” Plessinger said. 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. at Frame of Mind.
The finale Saturday night is Shamelessly Hot’s Spooktacular Big Show, emceed by Philadelphia’s SideTracked and featuring Ooops the Clown and the Famous Mr. Cheeze, Dante el Dante, Charlotte Truese, Cherry Brown, Ashley Moore, Lorrie Rivers, Tinder Box Circus Sideshow, Kisa Von Teasa, and headliner Sadie Hawkins. 8-10 p.m. at Columbia Music Festival Association.
“The ‘Big Show’ is the Spooktacular premier event,” Plessinger says. “(It’s) a true variety show highlighting local talent with performers from across the United States. This year’s Big Show features a steampunk theme, designed to get you in the mood for the upcoming Halloween season.”
Know before you go
Now that you know what is scheduled for the Spooktacular Festival, here are a few things you might need to know:
What is burlesque?
From Merriam-Webster: 1) A literary or dramatic work that seeks to ridicule by means of grotesque exaggeration or comic imitation. 2) Mockery, usually by caricature. 3) Theatrical entertainment of a broadly humorous, often earthy character consisting of short turns, comic skits, and sometimes striptease acts.
What is cabaret?
From Merriam-Webster: A restaurant serving liquor and providing entertainment (as by singers or dancers)
What is vaudeville?
From Merriam-Webster: A type of entertainment that was popular in the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and that had many different performers doing songs, dances, and comic acts.
What are some common misconceptions about burlesque, sideshow and vaudeville entertainment?
From Mark Plessinger: “Common misconceptions are often that none of these are true art forms, that they are simple forms of entertainment that can often be derided. But nothing could be farther from the truth. The artists/performers are dedicated professionals who are passionate about their artistic form of expression. There is a story to be told, by each of them.”
Why should you attend?
From Plessinger: “There are four events in three days. We guarantee that there is at least one event that you have never experienced before.
“We feel that this is the perfect way to kick off the Halloween season, and why not? Now you get a chance to wear your Halloween outfit more than one time – or more than three times.”
This story was originally published September 27, 2016 at 5:25 PM.