While you’re getting ready to put on your Halloween costumes, they’re getting ready to take theirs off.
After a nearly three-year hiatus, a crew of both local and nationwide burlesque performers, musicians and comedians are set to sing, entertain and tease during the upcoming Halloween weekend at the Crystal Saloon for its Nude & Rude Revue burlesque and variety show.
Taylor Vidic, stage and marketing manager at the Crystal Saloon and performer and producer for the show, said the event will feature an array of acts from nearly 20 performers — the biggest group to ever perform for Nude & Rude — and each act falls under the umbrella of burlesque.
“Nude & Rude is not only a burlesque show, it has many elements of burlesque — there is tease, there is strip, there is great bumping and grinding and choreography,” she said.
Kelsey Riker leans forward as she performs at a previous Nude & Rude event. Riker, the troupe’s host and master of ceremonies, is set to perform at the upcoming Halloween weekend Nude & Rude Revue burlesque and variety show at the Crystal Saloon. (Courtesy Photo / Sydney Akagi)
Vidic said the concept for the show was created back in 2017 when she and a group of other seasonal workers living in Skagway joined forces as a troupe of burlesque performers. She said the upcoming show will be the crew’s first performance since 2019.
Kelsey Riker, the troupe’s host and master of ceremonies, said the troupe has always thought of themselves as a family, and she is excited that the whole crew is finally coming back together to perform for the Juneau community.
Vidic said as the three years passed, many troupe members had children and went on to find full-time jobs outside of Alaska, and she said it is “really special” to bring everyone together again. She said this four performance event is a “one-off show” and there are no future renditions of it planned currently, however, said she hopes that there might be more in store soon.
Riker said she’s excited for people to come to the show and feel the energy of the performers and each other.
“Our goal by the end of the night is that everyone in the room is a friend,” Riker said.
Both Vidic and Ricker said they urge people to buy tickets sooner rather than later if they’d like to come to the show because in the past, Nude & Rude have consistently sold out even before the night of the shows.
“We try to fit in as many people as we can get in the room, but we also have to remember there are building codes,” Vidic said, laughing. “People just get so excited for these shows which just makes it that much more exciting for us on stage to just feel that energy from the room.”
Vidic and Ricker also encourage people to wear their best Halloween costumes to the shows, as there will be a contest that attendees can participate in.
Performers stand in a line donning tutus and fishnet leggings at a previous Nude & Rude event. Taylor Vidic, stage and marketing manager at the Crystal Saloon and performer and producer a part of the show, said the show will feature an array of acts from nearly 20 performers under the umbrella of burlesque. (Courtesy/ Sydney Akagi)
“We want it to be an experience,” Vidic said. “There is emotion, there is storytelling — we have a little bit of everything.”
Know & Go
What: The Nude & Rude Revue
When: 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. performances Friday, Oct. 28 and Saturday, Oct. 29.
Where: The Crystal Saloon
Admission: $40-375, available for purchase at www.crystalsaloon.com
• Contact reporter Clarise Larson at clarise.larson@juneauempire.com or (651)-528-1807. Follow her on Twitter at @clariselarson.
