Mixed Nuts

Vaudeville was chic from the Victorian era through the Roaring Twenties. But around the time Prohibition ended, variety shows went the way of disco, shoulder pads, and The Sing-Off. (Too soon? We think not.) Find out what we’ve been missing when The Pretty Things Peepshow shimmies into Phoenix Center for...

By Wynter Holden

June 7, 2012

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Vaudeville was chic from the Victorian era through the Roaring Twenties. But around the time Prohibition ended, variety shows went the way of disco, shoulder pads, and The Sing-Off. (Too soon? We think not.)

Find out what we’ve been missing when The Pretty Things Peepshow shimmies into Phoenix Center for the Arts on Thursday, June 7. The traveling act features a rotating cast of vivacious vixens including sword swallower Heather Holliday, aerialist Alley Ooops, and freaks like Donny Vomit, whose name is a nod to the bile-inducing human blockhead and electric chair tricks he’s known for. Also look for sultry burlesque routines from voluptuous redhead Go-Go Amy and her fellow stripteasers.

Anything can happen at the show, from performers placing sensitive parts inside animal traps to more unplanned events like wardrobe malfunctions. “We've had the power go out, sound issues, lighting issues, you name it!” Amy quips. “But that's all part of the fun of live theater.”

Thu., June 7, 8 p.m., 2012

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