Free. Think. Love. Frankenstein.
Please note: This article is published as an archive copy from Philadelphia City Paper. My City Paper is not affiliated with Philadelphia City Paper. Philadelphia City Paper was an alternative weekly newspaper in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The last edition was published on October 8, 2015.
[Nov. 15-17] The co-founder of the late beloved Cabaret Red Light returns with a new troupe and an original Gothic romance based on Mary Shelley's classic.
Nathan Kuruna
Annie A-Bomb — aka Anna Frangiosa, co-founder of the celebrated but now dissolved Cabaret Red Light — returns to live burlesque with a new troupe, The Cabaret Administration, and an original Gothic romance ballet based on Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel. The costume designer/activist/performer teams up with choreographer Christine Fisler to combine stylized dance and theatrical storytelling in Frangiosa’s favorite genre: “sensual shows for adults inspired by classic stories.” Her script extends beyond Doctor Frankenstein and his homemade monster to portray Mary and Percy Shelley as romantics, radicals and revolutionaries, obsessed with the utopian idea that man should be free from God, king and law. “Truthfully, it’s a real ballet,” Frangiosa explains. “There are beautiful, scary, sexy and tragic dances. It’s for mature audiences because there is nudity — so burlesque fans will love it, ballet fans will love it and Frankenstein fans will love it.” To the purists, she points out that “the historical definition of burlesque is satire, so anything can be a burlesque.”
Fri.-Sun., Nov. 15-17, $15-$20, Skybox at the Adrienne, 2030 Sansom St., 215-715-9757, brownpapertickets.com/event/456697.
