Pretty Things show keeps spirit of Vaudeville alive

Downtown Pensacola is about to get a little sexier — for one night at least.

The Pretty Things Peepshow will be steaming up Vinyl Music Hall on Tuesday with a combination of burlesque beauties, scintillating side show performances and vivacious Vaudeville-style acts. Want to find out what the Human Blockhead is? Or perhaps you want to see someone survive the Chinese execution blade box? Or maybe you just want to see cheekily seductive burlesque dancers attempt dangerous feats like sword swallowing? The show promises that and more.

“Many people have heard of these acts but have never seen them performed live,” said show founder Go-Go Amy in a phone interview. “That’s worth coming out to see for yourself.”

Although performers rotate in and out of the group, the core cast consists of Go-Go Amy, Heather Holliday and Donny Vomit. They will be welcoming Miss Alley Ooops, with her hula and sword-swallowing performance, from nearby New Orleans as a special guest star.

“You would think that something like sword swallowing would be a one-note act, but each performer finds different ways to tweak each show so that their act is different in every run,” Amy said. “It’s a way to make each town’s show different and exciting.”

Audience members can expect to find this skilled set of New York City-based professionals providing thrills and a nostalgic glimpse of the hey day of Vaudeville. Drawing on members’ experience from working past shows like The Brothers Grimm Sideshowand Burlesque at the Beach: Coney Island Sideshow, the tour tries to create an experience for patrons. They even go so far as to bring their own vintage and rockabilly house music to play before curtains go up, to add to the experience.

“We want the vibe to feel as if you have walked into the past,” Amy said.

To help everyone get into the retro feel of the night, The Pretty Things Peepshow invited local stylist Cathy Sheldon of Tenth Avenue Hair Design to set up a booth inside the venue to offer pin-up style makeovers. Sheldon will be assisted by two other stylists and a make-up artist to help with transformations. Sheldon said the hair styles will take about fifteen minutes to complete.

“We’ll do a lot of victory rolls, and it is fast,” Sheldon said via phone interview. “I like to do a lot of vintage up-dos.”

So vintage vixens and handlebar-mustachioed gentlemen, rejoice! The cast encourages attendees to dress up in their flashiest retro gear and come out with their favorite fox or fella.

“We are a great date night show — we really have something for everybody,” Amy said. “There are glittery costumes and dangerous acts — it’s something everyone can enjoy.”