Original Musical-Burlesque Production From Verlaine & McCann Comes to Seattle

Verlaine & McCann's annual celebration of wine, beauty, and frivolity is back and on stage in the form of Burlesco DiVino: Wine In Rome, an original musical-burlesque fantasia. Lily Verlaine and Jasper McCann are the Seattle-based producers who bring the city its holiday tradition, Land Of The Sweets: The Burlesque Nutcracker, a spectacle that has earned them national critical-acclaim for their commitment to professional-level classical dance talent and extraordinary production elements in their visual story telling.

Burlesco DiVino is no departure and is set to feature a company of 17 dancers, singers, actors, and fire performers on stage at The Triple Door for five performances September 21-23, 2017. Tickets are available online at TheTripleDoor.net or by calling The Triple Door Box Office at (206) 838-4333.

The first and only burlesque production commissioned by The Triple Door, Burlesco DiVino takes the audience on a wild trip across Rome in 1963 with American choreographer Babs Lawson and her friend, Italian musician Lanzo Travaglio. After disappointing their widowed patron Donatella Chianti with a work of avant-garde dance, Babs and Lanzo are in over their heads. With a deadline looming and Babs' visa on the line, they search for inspiration in the streets, at a wild party, and get a morning after they'll never forget, thanks to a lot of wine and a little advice from feminist icon Helen Gurley Brown. Will their new show be a tragic failure, or will they be able to charm the citizens of Rome to get into the act and lift Donatella out of her grief? Inspired by the great costume epics Quo Vadis and Satyricon, and the mid-century visions of Rome La Dolce Vita and Roman Holiday, this show mixes jazz and Italian go-go rock with ancient Roman music.

The show also includes three all-original songs by Jasper McCann, a production element new to the Verlaine & McCann canon. "I've written numerous lyrics and melodies for our other shows, but they've been mostly used as introductions for an act or a stand-alone number," McCann said. "As DiVino evolved, Lily and I realized that the show had a movie-musical feel, so original songs seemed a natural addition. I took inspiration for these songs from 60's musicals, composed melodies and lyrics to support the plot, and arranged them with my friend, the accomplished film and television composer, James Chapple. Expect to hear some of Claudine Longet's wistfulness here, and some Italian go-go there."

Featuring burlesque superstars Lily Verlaine, The Luminous Pariah, Paris Original, Trojan Original, and Jasper McCann, with rising stars Tory Peil, Maiden Egypt, DreAmy Tangerine, Fosse Jack, and Laurel Bordeaux, Burlesco DiVino also features actress Erika Zabelle (Chicago, SMT), and the fusion belly-dance trio, Tribellas. Burlesco DiVino: Wine In Rome is the intoxicating theatrical burlesque mélange that you've come to expect from Verlaine, McCann, and company and it will leave you punch-drunk with delight! To learn more about Verlaine & McCann, visit: VerlaineandMcCann.com

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