Coda La Beau – Courtesy of Esque burlesque. Used with permission.
Courtesy of Esque. Used with permission.
ESQUE Burlesque: Patriotica! at Feinstein’s at Hotel Carmichael in Carmel knew exactly what kind of room it was working when I attended the Saturday performance. The show, presented by Worcel Shepard Productions was cheeky, carefully assembled and just unruly enough to keep its cabaret polish from feeling too tidy. From the first number, the production leaned into its patriotic theme with a light touch, letting the joke breathe instead of saluting it too hard. The result combined cabaret flash, variety-show humor and the easy rapport of performers who seemed glad to have an audience close enough to play with.
Part of what made the evening work was that it treated burlesque as more than a punchline or a costume change. Burlesque had always been about exaggeration, comedy, character and the pleasure of putting on a show. Long before modern audiences connected it mainly with striptease, it came out of traditions that poked fun at serious theater, social manners and popular entertainment. Over time, it picked up music, dance, vaudeville-style comedy, glamour and the slow art of the reveal. That history gave Patriotica! a useful frame: The show was at its best when it let humor, sensuality and showmanship work together.
That mix of wit, spectacle and stagecraft was carried by a compact, charismatic cast: Champagne Booblé (Carol Worcel), Johnnie Serenade (Johnnie Ray Hughes), Coda Le Beau (Kelvin Burzon), Red Hedda Hopper (Cynthia Collins), Cherry Li’Curve (Alexa Abbott) and guest artist Vera Vanderwoude St. Clair.
Johnnie Serenade – Courtesy of Esque burlesque. Used with permission.
The opening “Yankee Doodle Dandy” gave the audience a bright, full-cast welcome and set the tone for the night. The number had snap, color and a deliberate wink, but it never felt trapped inside its theme. What stood out was the creativity of the staging and choreography. The movement was not simply decorative; it gave the number shape, momentum and humor. From there, the show moved cleanly through live singing, dance, comedy, drag, acrobatics and striptease, with each shift feeling like part of the same lively conversation.
Gender bending, singer, dancer, actor, pianist and violinist Coda Le Beau emerged as one of the evening’s most versatile presences. In “Roxanne” from Moulin Rouge, his live violin gave the number dramatic heat while Cheri’Curve added dance and acrobatic flair. Their pairing created one of the show’s strongest visual and musical highlights, with violin, movement and tension working together rather than competing for attention. Coda Le Beau later shifted gears with “Nails, Hair, Hips, Heels,” a comedy striptease that showed his timing, confidence and willingness to play with exaggerated attitude. In Act 2, “Royals” again placed his musicianship at the center, combining live violin with a controlled striptease that felt elegant, witty and sharply staged.
Vera Vandewoude St. Clair – Courtesy of Esque burlesue. Used with permission.
Cherry Li’Curve also gave the revue some of its most memorable moments. Her work in “Roxanne” brought a charged, athletic contrast to the live violin, while her fan dance in “American Woman” leaned into classic burlesque glamour with confidence and style. She returned opposite Coda Le Beau in “In the Navy,” where the mermaid-and-sailor novelty number allowed both performers to embrace camp, flirtation and playful character work. Across the evening, Cheri’Curve helped ground the show’s sensuality in precision, personality and a clear sense of fun.
The show’s sexuality was more implied than explicit, which suited the room and the material. It was naughty without feeling crude, sensual without tipping into anything overly graphic. The performers knew how to use posture, timing, costuming and physical confidence to heighten the suggestiveness and innuendo, and they did it with a wink rather than a shove. Their bodies were part of the storytelling, not as a blunt gimmick, but as another tool for comedy, glamour and tease.
The rest of the cast kept the revue lively and varied. Blonde headed Champagne Booblé displayed panache and Red Hedda Hopper brought comic flair while muscled Johnnie Serenade added expert vocals and sensual charm. Vera Vanderwoude St. Clair’s sassy drag numbers widened the show’s theatrical palette and gave the night a welcome change in texture. Just as important, the ensemble gave the evening a generous spirit. The show’s best quality was its refusal to stay in one lane: One moment leaned toward Broadway-style performance, another toward old-school cabaret and another toward broad comedy or playful sensuality.
Cynthia Collins – Courtesy of Esque burlesque. Used with permission.
Visually, Patriotica! used its red-white-and-blue palette with enough restraint to keep the evening from becoming a novelty act. Anthony James Sirk’s snappy costumes, and the lighting, staging and choreography gave the production cohesion, and the creative choices made each number feel intentionally built rather than simply placed in sequence. That level of polish came as no surprise given the experience of Worcel and Shepard as seasoned entertainers. Their instincts showed in the way the show used space, changed tone and kept the audience’s attention without ever letting the energy flatten. Even its bawdier moments were framed by timing, character and design.
Overall, ESQUE Burlesque: Patriotica! succeeded because it honored burlesque’s roots while making the form feel immediate and locally alive. It remembered that burlesque had always been about more than removing clothing; it had been about wit, presence, exaggeration, music, satire, glamour and audience connection. With standout work from Coda Le Beau and Cherry Li’Curve, inventive staging and choreography and a strong ensemble, the show offered an evening that felt nimble, funny and knowingly theatrical.
ESQUE returns to Feinstein’s with “The Naughty List” on November 27 and 28 at 7:30 PM at Feinstein’s inside the Hotel Carmichael in Carmel. Readers interested in the next installment can find ticket information at www. Feinsteinshc.com.
