The Empire Strips Back Review – A Burlesque Parody

Elijah Mack (Chewbacca) and Jonas Suber, Jr. (Han Solo) in THE EMPIRE STRIPS BACK - Photo by Craig Ridgwell
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Internationally acclaimed, THE EMPIRE STRIPS BACK returns to Los Angeles after an extremely successful run in 2022. This tiny show morphed from touring like an Indie band – with the original version booked in a cramped 150-seat bar in Sydney, Australia for a three-night run – to  three simultaneous productions constantly touring North America, an enthusiastic audience of over 300,000, and a Huffington Post video feature boating 20+ million viral views. First featured in Los Angeles’s Montalban Theatre in a three-month 2022 run, the show has done three to four month runs in New York, Chicago, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, Washington DC, Boston, Atlanta, and many other theaters in the U.S. Add to that it’s international footprint in Montreal (in French), Mexico City, and even Paris. .

Cast of THE EMPIRE STRIPS BACK – Photo by Craig Ridgwell

THE EMPIRE STRIPS BACK is a unique experience, an old-fashioned “bur-lee-kew” combined with a sophisticated and creative focus on Star Wars. To quote Ariana Bindman of SFGate.com, “Popularized in the U.S. in the nineteenth century, burlesque blurs the line between comedy and adult entertainment, incorporating camp and theater in playful strip routines…dark and sexy…with each draw of the curtain, we saw a series of acts that were visually decadent and tonally unique…making every goth and nerd in the audience scream like animals.” And now, 2024 marks the production’s triumphant return to Los Angeles.

Jabba the Hut and Friends – Photo by Craig Ridgwell

Featuring parodies of all the classic characters in the Star Wars universe, the show takes the audience to a galaxy far, far away from the get-go. These are heroes and villains beyond reckoning – but with a bit of a twist as menace and sex are intertwined into a dangerous seduction. This is a world peopled by eight uber-talented, gorgeous dancers who manage to appear graceful and ethereal even while popping into frequent bumps and grinds, often to hip-hop tunes. Then there are the brilliant animatronic characters like, you guessed it, a huge amorphous Jabba the Hut – who, in this version, is surrounded by stunning slave girls and possesses a very large, red, and penetrating tongue. Of course, no Star Wars reprise would be complete without a sensuous Han Solo and a very hairy Chewbacca. And, of course, THE EMPIRE STRIPS BACK must include the dark, helmeted Darth Vader – who soon transforms into a very racy lady with pronounced curves and bones of jelly.

Galaxy dancer – Photo by Craig Ridgwell

THE EMPIRE STRIPS BACK is definitely hilarious, sexy, spicy, and rowdy in equal measures. This is a show which Star Wars aficionados cannot afford to miss. At the same time, even if you’ve never seen a Star Wars film, you will be richly entertained by this dazzling production filled with music, glitter, and glitz.

Jabba’s World – Photo by Craig Ridgwell

THE EMPIRE STRIPS BACK runs through December 1, 2024, with performances at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays, at 7 p.m. on Fridays, at 7 p.m. and 9:P30 p.m. on Saturdays, and at 4 p.m. on Sundays. The Montalban Theatre is located at 1615 Vine Street, Los Angeles, CA 90028. Tickers start at $44. For information and reservations, go online.

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