The Australia-born touring production, which mixes both comedy and music with suggestive performances by costumed male and female dancers shedding their costumes, will touch down at downtown Phoenix’s Herberger Theater Center for a multiple-night stint starting on Sept. 6.
As the name of the show implies, “The Empire Strips Back” features characters from the “Star Wars” universe engaging in “unforgettable (and unauthorized)” burlesque antics. Tatooine mixes with tassels as a troupe of Tusken Raiders twerk, a female version of Luke Skywalker twirls around — and on top of — a landspeeder, and Princess Leia dressed as one of Jabba the Hutt’s dancing girls (natch).
The show, which is emceed by a suave Lando Calrissian lookalike, also includes Han Solo and Chewbacca shaking their intergalactic moneymakers, a "dangerously seductive" version of Boba Fett, and a pair of tantalizing Twi’leks. There’s even a dance number with a wrinkly Emperor Palpatine (!!!) frolicking about the stage and mimicking Miley Cyrus riding a Death Star-shaped disco ball. (Yes, you read that right.)
Looks like Luke was doing more than just picking up power converters at Tosche Station.
Craig Ridgwell
The origins of ‘The Empire Strips Back’
Launched in 2011 by veteran Australian burlesque promoter Russall S. Beattie, “The Empire Strips Back” has sold out venues around the world during multiple tours. While geek-themed burlesque shows featuring “Star Wars” characters have been a thing for more than a decade, Beattie aimed to do something different with this production.
“What most people know as burlesque is a very classic style — fans, feathers, big-band music, you know, vintage aesthetics,” Beattie told the Arizona Republic in 2019. “I wanted to evolve the way the audience perceives burlesque and do something a bit different, and just as a joke we did a ‘Star Wars’ burlesque show as a one-off, just as a joke between our more serious shows. Little did I know that would be the most popular show I’ve ever created.”
“The Empire Strips Back” also features some big-time production values and elaborate elements. “The Empire Strips Back” features a total of seven dancers who portray dozens of “Star Wars” characters during the two-hour-long show. It’s full-sized Jabba the Hutt puppet also cost more than $50,000 to build and requires four people to operate.
“Jabba the Hutt is more of a prop than a costume,” Beattie told the Arizona Republic in 2019.
How to get tickets to see ‘The Empire Strips Back’ in Phoenix
Tickets for “The Empire Strips Back” at the Herberger Theater Center start at $47 per person (plus taxes and fees) and are scheduled to go on sale at 9 a.m. on Thursday. Showtimes and additional details will be announced. Performances are strictly 18 and over (sorry, younglings).
Anyone hoping to get early access to tickets can sign up for a waiting list through the tour’s official website.
