Comic book and cult classic fans have something extra to look forward to after this year’s Emerald City Comic Con: a nerd-themed variety show called “Nerdlesque,” organized by Parkland’s own comic book shop Nerdy Stuffs.
“It is everything nerdy fused with burlesque,” Carmen Melendez, the general manager of Nerdy Stuffs, said.
Burlesque is a type of variety show, normally with a strip tease, that tells a story or some sort of message, Melendez said. “Nerdlesque” has some sort of “nerdy” theme to it, such as comic book characters or scenes from movies like “Star Wars.”
Melendez said there will be a Gotham City Sirens act featuring Catwoman, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy, as well as the ‘boylesque’ performer Anubis Bennu.
“Most of the burlesque performers do a ton of different acts, so it’s not just burlesque,” Melendez said, saying that they also do comedy and magic tricks. “I love the variety show aspect of it. It’s what they’re going to bring to this event.”
Melendez got the idea for the show when her friend Morgue Anne, a burlesque performer in Seattle, said she wanted to do some sort of nerdy-themed burlesque show for Emerald City Comic Con.
Emerald City Comic Con is a large annual comic book and pop culture convention in Seattle. This year it takes place March 28-30.
Melendez and Morgue Anne decided that a comic book and movie-themed burlesque show was the perfect way to end the convention. So Nerdy Stuffs teamed up with two other organizations — the Seattle-based vaudeville troupe Starving Artists on Parade and Cinema Tri-Force Podcast — to bring the show to Seattle.
Nerdy Stuffs will not have a booth at this year’s Comic Con, but Mendelez said they still wanted to be involved by putting on this show.
“We just want to be a part of Emerald City [Comic Con] and we want to be a part of the burlesque performances,” she said. “We just want to support local artists. That’s really important.”
“Nerdy Stuffs Nerdlesque”
Dante’s Seattle
5300 Roosevelt Way NE
8-10:30 p.m.
$10 cover charge (cash), 21+
