If you are avoiding the crowds and frustration at the shore this Memorial Day weekend, there is still a way for you to join in a very different kind of “hype.”
Thankfully for those of us staying in town, the dazzling monthly showcase Get Hype is not taking the holiday weekend off. On Sunday, May 28, at 9 p.m., the cozy atmosphere of Franky Bradley’s in Center City will come alive with the show’s signature blend of drag, burlesque and sideshow entertainment.
This month’s show is particularly special, as it welcomes performer Kyla Ren, who is co-founder Little Miss Hoops’ “burlesque daughter.” May 11 marked Ren’s one-year anniversary of burlesque performance in Philadelphia. To commemorate the occasion properly, Get Hype decided to dedicate the May 28 show to all things “Star Wars,” dubbing it “May the Hype Be With You.” With the runaway popularity of last year’s “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” movie and the anticipation of this year’s “Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi,” anticipation for George Lucas’ signature space epic shows no signs of slowing down.
Kyla Ren is the latest in a long line of burlesque performers to help Get Hype realize its role in Philadelphia’s performance community. The monthly event, co-founded by Rollerhoops and fellow burlesque performer Robin Graves, serves to fill a very necessary void.
“A play on the term ‘hyperqueen’ (a drag queen who lives as a woman in her everyday life but hyperfeminizes herself for the stage), the show arose out of a need for representation of women and femmes in the LGBTQ drag and bar performance scenes,” Graves explains. “It has since blossomed into a celebration of personal identity and community amongst Philly’s queer folks.”
Graves went on to say that this month, as well as every month, promises an exciting lineup of queens, clowns, showgirls and more, leaving audiences never quite knowing what to expect. Joining Ren, Rollerhoops and Graves on the stage this weekend will be burlesquers Pizza Wolfe, Devin MasoKiss, Aya Liner and Lady Doll. Brittany Marie will assume hosting duties, with musical selections from DJ Spencer Rollins.
If you go:
Sunday, May 28
9 p.m., $10
Franky Bradley’s
1320 Chancellor St.
215-735-0735
frankybradleys.com
