Gorilla Tango Theatre

This was not a great burlesque show– after reading the reviews here, I expected to see something campy and fun and worthy of almost $ 30 per person. (Plus the tip they hit you up for towards the end of the show)
Production values were very low, and the writing was uneven. Most importantly, there really wasn’t a lot of dancing, nor was the choreography good.
There are better burlesque shows in Chicago that are a better value for the money.
Theater was small but cute, front desk guy was friendly and funny. Actual show (batman) was just so bad.

Had a great time last night watching the Star Wars spoof A Nude Hope. The humor was great and the performers really did a great job. Didn’t know what to expect and was blown away. They do a great job with crowd interaction/​involvement. They dealt with some drunken a-​holes pretty easily and kept the show rolling.
The women were great and all committed to the roles perfectly. Fun dance numbers and Star Wars fans would be happy with all the tongue in cheek humor.
The women are of all shapes and sizes which is awesome. All seemed really comfortable with their bodies and it really made the show that much more enjoyable to see how free and how much fun they were having.
Would definitely go back. Perfect for a group but please don’t come wasted. That was the only part that sucked was about 4 people in the audience just yelling for about half the show or laughing when it wasn’t appropriate.

Oh fun the rack of khan show was! The script was excellent and the execution was amazing. So funny! My first show. Went with friends and my husband. He seemed to enjoy himself as well which says quite a bit.
You can tell these ladies really enjoy doing what they are doing.
Small-​ish venue. Desk staff was nice, and funny. Bathroom was clean.
Would go back!

Super fun show! The cast was enthusiastic and fed off the positive energy of the crowd. Parking was super easy (quite a surprise in Chicago!). Beers were $ 4, but that’s expected in a theatre. This was my second show and I’m happy the first time being awesome wasn’t just a fluke. This was a great time for anyone. It’s not obscene, but just vulgar enough to delight.
The only real problem is it’s hard to see when you’re walking up. I saw 10-​ish people walk by the window just to turn around 20 feet later, perplexed.

Customer Service will make or break any experience. Gorilla Tango gave us horrible customer service. We attended the burlesque show for our friends 30^th bday– 1^st time for all of us, and we WERE super excited As we entered the man taking the tickets right away said «Website says it’s BYOB. but it’s NOT. So give me your alcohol and you can have it back after the show.» If your website states something you should honor that. He proceeded to tell us the rules, he was basically YELLING the rules at us. I looked at my girlfriends and could tell our excitement was taken away. Since tickets were purchased ahead of time we couldnt leave. We came in ready for a good time and our positive energy was brought down 10 levels. This wasn’t a cheap event we paid $ 30 a person. This establishment needs to step back and appreciate the business they receive. All 7 of us will relay our feed back to friends and family to not attend any furure shows.

Went Saturday with the bf to see the Batman show. Was a little nervous and didn’t know what to expect. However, being fans of the batman series, we both really enjoyed the show! All the girls did an exceptional job especially the ones playing batman and robin. It was funny, stayed true to the series and all around a good time. Highly recommend going. Definitely will check out their other shows.

Funny and fun are the best words for this.
Everyone had a great time
The only knock is that it’s 1. way to short and 2. feels completely rushed.
I know the show has to keep moving but this was really ADD.
Maybe I missed the fee coke samples on the way in.

This place is great, if a little cramped. It’s located in Bucktown, and I definitely walked passed it, so keep an eye out for the door sign! I didn’t buy alcohol, so not sure of pricing. I saw Star Wars: A Nude Hope, and actually had quite a bit of fun. The ticket price was $ 28, so a little bit on the steeper side, especially for a student. The humor is pretty great though.

Went with a bachelor party to see ‘Star Wars: A Nude Hope’. I’m still laughing about it. Hooting and hollering was strongly encouraged by the MC, which added to the raucous atmosphere (and the enjoyment). They sell beer before the show starts; burlesque and revolution beer went very well together.
Caveat – get there early enough to get a spot in front – we sat in the 2^nd row after a group of 10 asked us to move out of the front, and then we immediately regretted it as the first three rows are all at the same level, meaning we could hardly see over the dudes in front of us. We immediately moved to the first elevated row and had a much better view.
The audience wasn’t just lusty guys, though; there were several mixed gender groups there, and it seemed like everyone in the house enjoyed it. Burlesque is sexy in a different way than strippers are, the girls are more ‘real’ looking and they wear pasties, but that doesn’t take away anything from the show – it was very sexy and very fun. I told my girlfriend all about it and she’s insisting I take *her* to a show there now.

Unique Chicago venue and performances. Love the support of smaller troupes too.

Holy Bouncing Boobies! Batman burlesque? My boyfriend got us tickets for a midnight show and I was dubious about how kitch-​y this might get. That said, IT WAS HILARIOUS!!. The show was cheesy in every good way possible and I laughed out loud more times than I can count.
The staging was excellent, the gals were all talented and so fun to watch (take note of the «background» characters — just as funny as whatever is going on center stage.)
I’d read the Unilocal reviews and knew that there would come time to tip the performers. I have to say, I was slightly turned off when I read it, (I was thinking strippers and dollars in the g-​strings, not really my gig) but when the time came, I was more than happy to show my appreciation with a few extra bucks in the «loot» bag. Not only was it done in a classy way but totally worth it and these ladies deserved every dollar.
Yes, the bar in the foyer is small, the theatre will not transport you back to the grandeur of the 19^th century in any way possible. Don’t go looking for a grand marble staircase and box seats. Just go and have a great time.

We went for their Friday night improv. I should’ve known it was going to be bad when ¾ of the audience were the cast and crew.
The show was awful! Who tells these people they’re funny? For the entire hour we didn’t laugh once. And I mean c’mon the comedians referenced Facebook like 4x?! I was with my boyfriend’s 12yr old daughter and even she said it was awful.
I basically spent $ 12 to watch a bunch of people awkwardly make meaning out of their pathetic lives.

A lot of fun and probably the most coherent burlesque I’ve seen. I caught the Batman-​themed show and it was steeped in all the cheesy glory of 60s TV series, complete with climbing up a «wall» horizontally with the aid of a grappling hook.
The girls were really funny with a range of body types to appeal to almost everyone. I was glad to see choreography and props used in addition to the striptease — yes, we all want to see the shimmy and shake, but some good, old-​fashioned entertainment breaks up the tugging of straps and crossing of arms.
For $ 30 it’d have been nice to see a slightly higher production value, but I also get that with a cast of 10 or so that money probably disappears pretty quickly.

First of all, beware of the ’ i think im trendy because i drink PBR’ douchbags that infest this area of town. They are everywhere! That being said this place is fun as hell. I attended a burlesque showing of Star Wars: A Nude Hope with my girlfriend and had a blast. The show itself was cheesy and corny but fabolously entertaining. The ladies performing were so eneregetic and full of joy that it did not matter if they delivered a Tony worthy performance or not.
This theater itself is small and has stackable chairs for the audience to sit on. They are uncormfortable but you don’t notice because you are having so much fun. They do sell a little alcohol but no full bar.

I have almost nothing bad to say about the to shows themselves. They are usually very well produced, very fun and entertaining and a quirky totally off beat take on burlesque. For those that complain about it not being actual burlesque or classic, they need to lighten up. The show mashes up the strip tease with comedy and geekiness. That’s a win win to me.
Where I do have a problem is the pricing. I used to frequent GT and have seen numerous shows they’ve produced, dating all the way back to the Glee production which I thoroughly enjoyed as did my GF of the time who was obsessed with the TV show.
I have seen both Star Wars shows, Temple of the Boob, Lord of the Rings and The Walking Dead themed show among others. They made for great first dates (except that one time when an apparently immature girl couldn’t handle such a thing and ditched me 10 mins in — womp womp)
But I’ve given them up to alternatives because they nearly doubled their rates and it seems their shows have gotten shorter as well. Couple that with expected tips and it becomes a very expensive time comparing to the costs of a Broadway show even. (even if it is the nosebleeds)
I can’t see how they can justify increasing their rates from $ 20 to $ 35. They used to have a packed house each time I went. The last couple of times I went, it was much more sparsely attended. That’s either a fluke or very telling due to their change in pricing.
If there were a groupon, I would attend again but no way can I spend that much money for what you get. I’m all about supporting the community as I have friends in that genre, but I feel nearly doubling their price is just too much.

Gorilla Tango? Some new kind of dance that all the kids are doing these days? Nah– just a great venue in Chicago to see up and coming acts in an intimate setting.
Gorilla Tango is an 80 seat theater in Bucktown that allows independent performers the opportunity to show their stuff in front of a small audience. The tiered seating assures that there isn’t a bad seat in the house and you actually feel like you are in the production you are so close to the action.
Want a drink to enjoy with the show? Stop at the «bar» (I use that term loosely as the bar is sort of what I call the check in area, ticket purchase, will call and just about all the functions that the theater needs) But you can purchase an adult beverage there with beer, wine and liquor. Just don’t do what the woman in front of me did and order some fancy drink that would actually require a bunch of mixers and a real bartender. Think of this as your fathers basement bar and you’ll have the right idea. There are no blenders here!
For after all– the focus of this place is not the so called «bar», but the show that is happening up on stage!
Go for the fun, go for the convenience (just steps from the Western stop of the blue line) but just go. And soon you’ll know all about what the cool kids already know…that doing the «Gorilla Tango» is more fun than a barrel of Monkeys!

This place is fantastic! This is not for prudes so be prepared for nudity… and hilarity! I’ve seen three of their shows and each one was more hilarious than the last (the Star Trek one is probably my favorite).
Basically they take burlesque and pop culture commentary and combine them into a sexy, strippin’, spoofing wonderland. Go with friends while you’re a bit tipsy, and bring one dollar bills, because the dancers are also working for tips!
The shows are also quite affordable for live theatre, so if you’re working with a tight budget, this is an affordable place to take someone for a special occasion or a fun cheap nite out on the town.

Venue — intimate, theater seating
Lighting — you see everything!
Performers — talented, excellent voice manipulation (echo effect without mic), real physique (different forms and sizes), utterly flexible with skills
Costumes — good fit and flattering, color-​coordinated with design appropriate for character
Script — smart and funny with obvious punchline, catchy terms
«A WALKING DEAD BURLESQUE»
— dialog-​centric, cheek-​centric and helicopter-​centric
— reminiscent of 2008 Zombie Strippers
— burlesque with no make-​up?
— She-​Male role performers did a great job in lowering voice pitch down.
«AN INDIANA JONES BURLESQUE»
— cultural: belly dancing, chinese ribbon dance, insect dance, ballet, animal dance (snake and monkey)
— varietal
— Red Devil character becomes endearing
Tickets are $ 35/​person with an odd embedded donation/​tips in the script on both shows.

I got a group together to see A Nude Hope… the Star Wars burlesque show for my boyfriends birthday. It seemed like an awesome idea at the time. Tickets seemed a bit pricey for an amateur show at $ 20 a piece. We arrived early so we decided to get a drink across the street since they were not allowing people to sit for almost and hour. When we returned the theater was packed. We had a friend save us seats, but some people were stuck standing for the entire show which seemed like poor planning on Gorilla Tango’s part.
I was sad that they were no longer BYOB as I heard they were in the past. The theater was so packed and hot that you had to purchase drinks to prevent you from passing out. The show itself was just okay. It was funny, but not very good when it comes to burlesque. Maybe next time I need to try out the Skokie location.

Went to see the Temple of Boobs: an Indiana Jones burlesque. I’ve never actually been to a burlesque show but I have to say this was very entertaining. Campy, fun, and I loved the Indiana Jones references and music because I was a huge fan of the movies when I was younger.
One star off for the moment when they went around soliciting more money from the audience, but I guess they are starving artists?