The Toronto Underground Cinema‘s Simpsons-themed geek burlesque (that’s Sky Blew doing a striptease as Duffman, above) brought “before and afters” to a new level Saturday night! Now, I like my share of makeovers, but burlesque is a makeunder – and the Toronto Underground Peepshow is stripped down…with a heaping helping of geek humour! Yes, it’s geek burlesque, or geekesque! First came August’s Marvelesque (revealing Marvel characters), then November’s The Evil League of Sexy (spotlighting smokin’ hot movie or TV villians for kids and adults alike), and this weekend was the soldout We Put the “Spring” in Springfield (featuring your fave Simpsons characters! doh!). After having gone to two geekesques, I must say that I like a man in uniform – and I like him out of uniform, too! Especially Sky Blew.

Back in November at the Toronto Underground Cinema, burlesque virgin Sky Blew indeed blew the crowd away as Jareth in the Labyrinth, with his awesome performance complete with owl costume, and a crystal ball, um, bulking up a certain nether region. (If you’ve seen Labyrinth, you’ll no doubt recall the numerous shots of Bowie’s crotch in tight tights. Watch the video below of Bowie singing “Magic Dance” if you don’t. Watch it even if you do – it’s fun!)

Full disclosure: my 13-year-old self lusted after Bowie as Jareth. Yes, that fact amuses me. It also makes me inclined to favour any guy who can do a bang-on comical impersonation of Bowie/Jareth while undressing in front of hundreds of laughing strangers. I admit, I fancy the fella. Sky Blew, I mean.

duffman burlesque: sky blew knows how to make an entrance

Who is Sky Blew? Who cares! The guy knows how to make an entrance (pun intended)! Dude was inside the construction paper beer can for 2 hours before the big reveal! The Duff can was draped in a black cloth that he teasingly pulled into the top, slowly revealing the Duff can like a gal hiking up her skirt to hitch a ride. Sky Blew seriously turns on the charm, whether in full-on costume (above) or nothing but a G-string (below).

And my gosh, does the dude know how to work the crowd. For his stint as The Simpsons’ Duffman, Sky Blew strategically intercut songs that embodied the character and the idea of burlesque (Yello’s “Oh Yeah,” Right Said Fred’s “I’m Too Sexy” and the Village People’s “Macho Man,” among others) with hilarious voiceovers of Duffman (“Duffman has a bad feeling about this!”). I was in stitches the entire time! He needs his own solo show!!! Note to the Peepshow organizers: Puhleeease talk him into doing a one-man show!

it’s true: i like my geek burlesque

Geekesque. I didn’t coin the term “geekesque,” but I love the play on “geek burlesque.” And there’s nothing I can say to convey how good Sky Blew is at making geek burlesque sooo funny. You just have to watch him. We’re supposed to be laughing at him doing a strip tease, after all, and much of that humour is achieved by the combo of audio and visual. I mean, he kinda looks – dare I say – sexy in this shot, don’t you think? (Maybe you have to like lanky geek boys, which I do.) But what he’s doing above isn’t really sexy or sensual – it’s brawny in a frat boy way: he’s chugging beer to the tune of “Oh Yeah,” after having doused himself à la Jennifer Beals in Flashdance. The pseudo-masculine music makes the scene funny because Sky Blew’s definitely not brawny.

sky blew’s burlesque: you know you wanna watch him

If you weren’t at the Toronto Underground Cinema’s Simpsons burlesque but wish you were, watch this video of Sky Blew’s Duffman striptease! It’s sooo NSFW, but I promise, your sides will hurt from laughing so hard.
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What: Toronto Underground Cinema‘s geek burlesque
Where: Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Underground Cinema is in the basement of a condo at 186 Spadina Ave. (just north of Queen Street).
When: The geekesque Toronto Underground Peepshow is held every few months. Each show’s theme is revealed during the previous show, so you have plenty of time to pitch your idea, if you’re so inclined to perform.
Cost: This last burlesque was $12 in advance and $15 at the door.
Why: While it’s not to everyone’s taste, it’s too, too funny to dismiss. And the state of undress depends on the performer – it’s not all G-strings and tassels!