I arrived at Revival Bar on College Street in full anticipation. This evening was going to be my first burlesque experience. While I had a bit of a notion of what a burlesque show would entail, I really didn't know how the evening would unfold. As it was, I was definitely in for the unexpected.

Les Coquettes is a burlesque crew of the loveliest/naughtiest ladies in the biz. The group has been around for near ten years and is fresh with talent. You need to dispense with what you think of as traditional burlesque. These ladies interact with the audience in a manner that is titillating, engaging and hiliarious.

The evening's series is called Speakeasy and was hosted by the lovely Catherine. She kept the audience in stitches between each act. She set 'em up and the dancers/actors/comedians, knocked 'em out. Whether it was on the stage, on the bar or in someone's lap, there wasn't a gap in the action.

The boas were swinging, the feathers flapping, the pleather was tight and the pasties were spinning.

Everyone howled when one hot performer stepped out of a gorilla suit and proceeded to go down on a banana... only to require the Heimlich maneuver... >Ahem< you had to be there. SERIOUSLY. You really need to be there.

My personal favourite was the Candy Girl clown. I confess, I have never found a clown so funny AND so sexy. I wanted to be on the other end of that licorice (look for the video to come). AGAIN, you had to be there.

Mixed into the act was some interesting work with bondage rope by the only male performer, who was very fit indeed. His contortion-esque manipulation finished with him literally tied in knots... and some straight men in the audience scratching their heads and shifting in their seats. Loved it!

Little treats such as piano interludes, Jagermeister shots and birthday songs peppered the night, blending audience and performers very comfortably; like we were all old friends reconnecting.

... And before i knew it, the 80 minute show over... as quickly as it started. I couldn't believe how the time flew. Apparently, the performers switch up their acts so there is never the same show twice. Brilliant.

Les Coquettes were solid and amazingly entertaining... and I haven't even talked about how fantastic the meal was. Stay tuned for my report on Chef Chris 'n crew's culinary brilliance...

Enjoy still photos from the evening by clicking the link below: