Wasabassco Burlesque

Updating this review again, because there’s a new show called «House of Deveraux» going on monthly at Littlefield, and it’s completely different from any of the other shows. There are still individual performances, but there’s a focus on gogo dance sets, and the crowd itself getting in on what turns into one big dance party (there are few chairs in the place, and a DJ plays sets inbetween performances).
I’m glad to see Wasabassco return to Littlefield, as the space is great and the bar is CHEAP! I shouldn’t say cheap, it’s just that there are options for every budget. They have $ 3 beers, and they have $ 9 beers. They have a stocked bar with everything inbetween; and the guys running the door are downright pleasant.
Wasabassco did one show here before: a radio drama set in the 30’s that had the performers reading from a script between acts. While I loved it, the motif was a little limiting, as the performers read from scripts into old timey microphones, instead of acting out their lines off book like they normally would in every other scripted show that the company does down the street at the Bell House. It’s weird, because one doesn’t normally go to a burlesque show expecting great acting, but some of the performers (note I keep saying «performers,» because there’s ladies AND gentlemen) have such great delivery that they could easily appear in a theatre uptown. Either way, the new format allows for a much more diverse set of acts and broader appeal. Five stars, I can’t recommend this enough.

I’ve read so many rave reviews for this burlesque show and I am quite confused about it. I went to a few burlesque shows prior to this in the LES, and became a huge fan right away. I then got surprised to go on a date to one and I was absolutely thrilled.
The location of the show was in Brooklyn (622 Degraw St). The setting within itself was pretty nice. They served drinks before the show at the bar. Really cheap beers, wine, and more so definitely get boozy.
There were huge curtains in the middle of the room and when it got closer to 8PM — it opened to reveal a secondary room for the actual show to take place… and of course, that started late. Wassabassco Burlesque ended up to be a mixture of a play and a burlesque show which I thought was pretty creative (this was a surprise date after all so I found this out after the show had begun).
The burlesque portion of the show was quite lackluster (reason for the rating). The women were beautiful, but only two ended up captivating me because the others were sloppy in their performance. They all did similar routines and I got tired of the whole «taking the glove off with my teeth» act… which they did A LOT of times.
The play portion of the show was pretty funny and I was trying to keep up with the lines more than any of the performances, BUT the entire cast was reading from their script the whole entire time. Why couldn’t they just memorize it? I was so confused about that. They didn’t even make eye contact, this one person had her script covering her entire face as she read from it.
Someone wrote that this was only $ 20, but I’ve gone to previous burlesque shows for free-​$ 10 and it had way more personality/​excitement/​performance.

Fun stuff! This was an excellent date night. The dancers were fun and full of drama. The food and drinks are delicious. I would suggest booking the VIP tickets or to take a table otherwise you would need to stand. The place wasn’t to badly packed, I noticed that was a complaint of some of the Unilocalers. I went to the show in Williamsburg, great venue. To the Unilocalers who complained about lack of diversity and perfect bodies I gotta say false review. The cast had diversity as well as none of the bodies were the typical perfection model bodies. All the girls were very authentic and natural looking, it gave the show a beautiful charm.

Absolutely exhilarating.
This review is for Wasabassco Burlesque @ Bathtub Gin. With the combination of the venue and the great performers you sure are in for a treat. It just works in this venue. Everything works. Dimly lit. Cozy. The vintage feel of the entire place takes you back in time.
I recommend this company and that venue to anybody and everybody.

making our way down the street from our subway stop we halted in front of the door that we believed was the correct address. we tried to open the door, it was locked. a gentleman in a suit stepped out of the coffee shop next door. he said, «i believe you have the wrong door.» he proceeded to walk with us through a small café smelling of strong, fresh brewed coffee… a pull away wall revealed what we were seeking.
the talent here is amazing. the women are gorgeous. the costumes are vintage and quality. the commentary throughout the show is hilarious. the cocktail waitress had one of the best asses i have seen (and a damn fine sense of humor too)! She let my boyfriend take a fantastic picture next to her derrière? best of all the show is free (just tip the girls!) and the drinks are stiff!

best burlesque show i have seen to date. and just wait ’til you see what they do with that bathtub!

I’ve been to a few of their shows, and I’m impressed every time!
The dancers are beautiful and talented, very pleasant to look at. Truly makes me appreciate Burlesque as an art form, and they take it very seriously, as they should. Last night, one table was being especially rude and one of the guys kept giving the stage his back. They were thrown out.
The hosting is also done tastefully, and they are funny!
Wonderful entertainment.

this is a great burlesque show! its been around for a while, years now. Doc Wasabassco is the man running behind the scenes running the show… he’s kind of a jerk, but I’m sure his position calls for it. hes a business man.
I read some of the «mixed» reviews. I think people should remember there are all different types of burlesque and burlesque performers. not all of them are pin up looking classic burly q performers. there’s comedy, there’s dark burly q, there really raunchy burly q, there’s really artsy elaborate costumes, there’s fetish type burly q and then there’s your classic burly q. this show incorporates all types.
when i was first introduced to this show, Gigi La Femme was part of it (one of my faves). she is no longer with them, as there line up changes often. they also often have guest performers.
they have shows in Brooklyn and NYC. cover is usually 5 – 20 bucks. Its kind of a short show, so i could understand the anger behind paying 20 bucks. also the venues they perform at are small and sometimes kind of scuzzy… but I’m always down for a good dive bar and go with my honey, so doesn’t bother me. hipsters don’t look for drama, they are quite friendly… lol
as far as the «asking» for tips, they do this in most burly q shows, i don’t think these performers get paid much money (as most of them have day jobs) so that’s pretty normal at any burly q show. I don’t mind tipping, they are creative, beautiful, intelligent woman. lots of thought and practice goes into burly q acts… its NOT a stripper on a pole. the costumes are also usually amazing, which cost money! I could def understand the way they go about might make some feel uncomfortable, but I’m sure it makes them feel uncomfortable to get jerked with no tips!
they also do free shows sometimes, which i think is great!
Wasabassco will always have a place in my heart, as it was one of the first burly q shows i ever went to!

For an old school burleque show this was fun and the girls were sexy too. The problem is the show format and all of the waiting. It is one thing to have an act come out but then another to have too much down time where the whole thing sort of kills the energy and falls apart.

This is a troupe that preforms in different venues and apparently the shows vary depending on venue. We saw them at Affaire Bistro on Ave. B. This was our first burlesque show so I don’t have much to compare it to.
The girls were beautiful and talented without a doubt, but the show was disappointingly short. It started after we received our appetizers and ended before we finished our entrees. There were three girls that preformed for about 4 – 3 minutes each between a 5 or so minute break.
In the end we paid $ 20 each for 15 minutes of entertainment and were then handed envelopes so we could provide a tip.
Maybe their shows are more more involved at other venues, but you may want to check the venue before going to get an idea of what to expect.

Wasabassco Burlesque is an incredibly fun thing to see/​do with your girlfriends, even (especially?) the straight ones!
The shows, which vary in length and the number of ladies performing depending on the venue (Affaire: order the mussels & fries!) & City Winery are my favorites), are simultaneously sassy, silly and surprisingly hot-​under-​the-​collar sexy. It’s a delicious night out and hilarious fun — I guarantee you’ll leave grinning.
Lastly a special mention to the lovely Natasha King, a goddess contortionist who’ll leave your jaw on the floor!

Finding quality entertainment in NYC for $ 20 is not an easy task… but Wasabassco Burlesque makes it a no brainer. Wasabassco has taken a classic art form and updated it for the 21^st century in a way that is completely unique, beautiful, and most of all entertaining. I have seen dozens of their shows and never once been disappointed, whether its Union Hall or the Bell House in Brooklyn, or City Winery, Bathtub Gin, or the Red Room in Manhattan. There is literally a show at least once a week that never ceases to amaze. If you are a seasoned burlesque fan or you’re a newbie, this is THE burlesque troupe to see in NYC. Doc has gathered the absolute best performers who always bring their A games to his shows. Not to be missed!!!

Doc Wasabassco’s coterie of performers is better than hand-​picked, it’s discerning. In an age where the burly-​q community is in danger of saturation and the subsequent mediocrity, Wasabassco’s shows are invariably worth the effort. They feature only the crème de le crème, employing the best in local talent in addition to being frequently peppered by visiting luminaries from other cites as well as those broads from abroad. Given how long they’ve been doing this, one might expect the passion and enthusiasm behing that enterprise to have waned, but far from it.
One word of advice, as with all shows of this ilk: the more you applaud and cheer, the better the act gets. Hold nothing back.

I’ve been to so many burlesque shows in New York that it’s difficult to get excited over them anymore. In fact, I won’t even go unless it’s a Wasabassco show. The performers are gorgeous and their costumes are typically very cute The acts are clever. In defense of the lineup’s slant towards svelte figures (since someone below complained and I am so weary, myself, of being the thin girl who gets ridiculed), I’ll say that if I’m going to watch a woman dance around practically nekkid, I really don’t want to see cellulite. There’s plenty of that in the locker room at my gym. The host is charming, as well. My only suggestion is that there be more early shows.

I saw their show last night at Bathtub Gin. This was my first burlesque show and I was really excited to see it. Here’s the thing, I have never seen a burlesque show before but I am pretty sure there are better performers.
Don’t get me wrong the girls were cute and their costumes were nice BUT they were NOT womanly at all. 3 women performed, 1 song each. 2 of them looked 18 or 19 which is fine but I always imagined more shapely women performing who weren’t hot off the press. Two of the girls were STICK figures! So skinny. Nothing womanly about them at all. I like thin women, but in burlesque I think you should be shapely, have a body of some sort. Thin, toned, shapely, please and thank you.
Beyond that, this is NYC so I thought there should have been diversity in the performers. All three of them were VERY VERY pale (vampire like). It was kind of weird. (maybe that’s a burlesque thing, I don’t know) I happen to like vampires but a woman of color would have been nice.
So from my experience seeing this show if you like kinda cute vamps in cute costumes, who lack experience, then you should see this show.
I am certain that there are other performers and likely some that are more experienced than the ones I saw so I can’t speak for Wasabassco performers’ looks and abilities as a whole, just the ones I saw.

I’m torn when it comes to this one.
I saw Wasabassco Burlesque at Union Hall, so I’m not sure if it’s a problem with the venue or with the way the show is organized. But let’s be fair and parcel out the pros and the cons:
Pros: Steamy burlesque, adorable costumes and cute girls representing a variety of body types
Intimate venue setting with a cash bar nearby
Hilarious emcee making fun of the stroller-​pushing, plaid-​wearing Park Slope residents
Cons:
They way, way, way, way, way oversold tickets, to the point where patrons were shoving eachother and leaving. There were seats for about 45 and they had about 100 people crammed into that room. It was money-​grubbing and inconsiderate, as at least 20 people who paid couldn’t see the show at all.
The hostess was cute, but the 5 minute breaks between each performer were truly excessive. It got really old. There was a 10 – 15 minute intermission, so why weren’t the performers ready to go again after that? There were no significant hairstyle changes or insane costume changes that I could see that would merit nearly 25 minutes of wasted showtime. It got really old listening to a bunch of «filler» as we twiddled our thumbs, waiting for the next act.
Wasabassco, I love the ladies and I love the performances. But you have GOT to tighten up your management of this show or you’ll drive people away

Awesome Halloween
Ms. America*, Nasty**
Raquelle***:Stole the show
*Can’t remember her name! (so sorry) but she was the last act, blonde pin-​up who like finger fucked herself on stage and totally went for it. So amazing
** Loved how you spit on that woman in the front row. Hilarious!
***New age burlesque: Techno. Latex body suit. Milk.

Thank you for keeping a lost art alive. You were great at City Winery and sad I won’t be around to see more shows. Lovely ladies and classy acts
Would like to catch you in Brooklyn at a more intimate venue, but glad to see you successful in the city as well.

God bless my gf for allowing me to discover burlesque.
Some of the best burlesque performers you will find in NYC. Gigi La Femme is not only a great performer, but also a wonderful MC. The hard core of Gigi LaFemme, Anita Cookie, Nasty Canasta, and Jonny Porkpie[1] are sexy, fun, imaginative, and irreverent. Other performers that I’ve seen at Wasabassco shows that I like very much include Sapphire Jones, Legs Malone, and Madame Rosebud.
Their recent 5 years anniversary bash at The Bell House was absolutely phenomenal! Looking forward to the next 5 years!
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — -
[1] Apparently Mr. Porkpie also writes on the side; his novel «The Corpse Wore Pasties» just came out.

LOVE LOVE LOVE BURLESQUE…
I would have to say that Wasabassco is one of the best burlesque in Gotham. Have seen quite a few different burlesque companies, and this one wins, hands down! Originally fell in love with Wasabassco about a year ago when I went to their show at Union Hall for the themed, «Christmas Office Party» Burlesque Show. Some of my favorites include Gigi LaFemme, Sapphire Jones, Madame Rosebud, and Legs Malone ;-) Even Johnny Porkpie is bearable.
The last show we experienced was the, «5^th anniversary» show, and wow it was hot! Brilliant performances, and they really went all out, and over the top.
BURLESQUE is the best and Wasabassco makes it even better and for $ 10 a show, it doesn’t get any better.