CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — “The Empire Strips Back: A Burlesque Parody” has made its Midwest debut on the Northwest Side of Chicago.
Projected on a closed curtain at the Logan Square Auditorium, the crawling prologue explained to the audience that it’s “a dark and sexy time for the rebellion” — and that Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia have established a new secret base in Chicago.
The curtain opens, and the story of “The Empire Strips Back” is told through a mix of the original John Williams score, pop tunes from the past and present, and eclectic dance styles. The show is parts ballet, hip-hop, seductive, sensual, and a little bit silly at times; it is a parody, after all.
The highly-skilled performers wear custom, movie-quality costumes throughout the two-hour show, as they represent well-known characters from the original trilogy — before removing those costumes.
“I feel it’s the perfect amount of classy, with a hint of raunchy,” said Chicago-native Jayda Perry.
Perry said her performance as a jedi is a wild, but welcome departure from her ballet roots. It includes the skillful use of a lightsaber, to the cheers of a wildly supportive crowd made up, largely, of women and couples.
“It’s classy enough to where you can invite everyone,” Perry said. “You can invite your auntie, your grandma, and your cousin all in one sitting because it’s like the perfect level of not too much but also enough.”
The assistant choreographer for the show, Kael Murray, has been with the production since its inception in Australia, about 13 years ago.
“My first C-3PO outfit was literally a little, rubber C-3PO helmet that came from a costume shop,” Murray said.
Murray has upgraded the quality of her costume since the original, three-night run at a small, 150-seat cabaret venue in Sydney, which led to seven sold-out national tours in Australia.
“I actually stood for three hours to get a full-body mold by Odd Studio in Australia,” Murray said. “Some of the people at Odd Studio actually worked on the original trilogy. So, I stood for three hours for that costume to be molded to me, and they went and cast it. Now it’s a full, 30-piece magnetic costume,” Murray said.
Murray has performed as just about every original trilogy character in her time with “The Empire Strips Back,” which has for several years been selling out major market venues in the United States. Each of the show’s performers now possess movie-grade costumes, which they take off while dancing seductively to well-known pop songs.
“It’s very important for us on stage to know Star Wars,” Murray added. “The audience does not have to know Star Wars.”
Murray said the performers are confident and experts in various dance disciplines from ballet to hip-hop. That skill, combined with various stages of undress, is what makes the show so sexy.
“The Empire Strips Back: A Burlesque Parody,” is in the midst of an open-ended run at the Logan Square Auditorium. Performances take place six nights per week.
"Empire Strips Back" is a parody production. Star Wars™ and its characters are registered trademarks of Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd or Lucasfilm Ltd. The production is not sponsored, endorsed by or affiliated with Disney, Lucasfilm Entertainment Company Ltd, Lucasfilm Ltd or any of its subsidiaries or affiliated companies and/or third-party licensors.
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