THE EMPIRE STRIPS BACK: A BURLESQUE PARODY Opens In Phoenix in September

The internationally acclaimed The Empire Strips Back: A Burlesque Parody is opening in Phoenix, Arizona on September 6 at Herberger Theater, Center Stage. Tickets are available at theempirestripsback.com.
 
Featuring parodies of all of the classic characters, The Empire Strips Back: A Burlesque Parody takes audiences to a galaxy far, far away, creating one of the most unforgettable (and unauthorized) theatrical interpretations of the beloved franchise.
 
Transporting audiences to a world of burlesque fantasy, of menacing and sexy dance, of dangerous seduction, of hilarious parody, and even the droids you're looking for. Your favorite characters are scantily clad, seriously sultry and live on stage!
 
The Empire Strips Back celebrates a resurgence of burlesque, while delivering a fun and rowdy experience for fans of the art form as well as the classic film series. Ariana Bindman of SF Gate said, “Popularized in the U.S. in the 19th century, burlesque blurs the line between comedy and adult entertainment, incorporating camp and theater in playful strip routines.”
 
Bindman continued, “Dark and sexy … with each draw of the curtain, we saw a series of acts that were visually decadent and tonally unique … a captive Princess Leia gyrating in a bikini to the Nine Inch Nails' 'Closer' or sexy stormtroopers stomp to the relentless 'Seven Nation Army' … or resident space pimp, R2D2 making rain by ejecting wads of cash into the air while a braggadocious Han Solo undulated to 'Smooth Criminal' making every goth and nerd in the audience scream like animals.” 
 
She concludes, “I saw the Star Wars strip show and now I'm forever changed.  An enormous success … one of the most memorable and impressive live performances I've ever seen.  I know that The Force is already with them.”
 
The original production was booked in a small, 150 seat room in Sydney for a one-off, three-night run. Fast-forward to seven national sold-out Australian tours, an enthusiastic audience of over 100,000+, and a Huffington Post video feature boasting 20+ million viral views.
 
On its last U.S. tour, The Empire Strips Back was a sold-out hit in prestigious venues, from San Francisco's Warfield Theatre, to Los Angeles' Wiltern and New York's PlayStation Theatre, with uproarious standing ovations and rave reviews.  The 2022-23 Los Angeles engagement followed the hit San Francisco run at Chinatown's Great Star Theater, rattling the walls of the 97-year old venue.  Roger Pincombe, Executive Director of the Great Star said “The Empire Strips Back was one of the largest, most exciting productions the theater has seen in recent decades, and it marks the start of a new era for our venerable venue.”
 
This engagement of The Empire Strips Back is produced by Foster Entertainment and Neil Gooding Productions, presented with Fever. The show was created by Russall S. Beattie

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