Key West Burlesque’s “Sugar Rum Cherry: A Burlesque Nutcracker” at Key West Theater
Slip into your stockings and pull out your sugarplums for Key West Burlesque’s outrageously cheeky production of “Sugar Rum Cherry: A Burlesque Nutcracker” on Thursday, December 14 through Saturday, December 16 at Key West Theater, 512 Eaton Street. This naughty holiday 2-act reverie, set to a combination of big band versions of various Nutcracker suites and classic holiday songs, features eight of your favorite local performers, four international burlesque superstars, and a bevy of sweet “drinks” in the land of libations.
“To say that I’ve been in love with the Nutcracker since childhood is an understatement!” says creator and producer Tatah Dujour who takes the stage as the Sugar Rum Cherry Fairy. “The costuming, music, and opulence of the Nutcracker is unparalleled. All the things I loved about the ballet as a child are now all the things I love about burlesque as an adult.”
This burlesque version of the holiday ballet classic offers audiences a full theatrical production that is uniquely Key West, celebrating “so much of what makes Key West the place it is—drinking, dancing, and adult fun,” says Hunt.
Act 1 of this decidedly grown-up version of Nutcracker is set at the dreamy “Club Sweets” cabaret, with a grown-up Clara performed by local Burlesque favorite Moana Amour, and club show-host Sir Drosselmeyer, performed by world-class magician Nick Locapo, who offers the feisty crowd a delicious assortment of burlesque beauty divertissements- including the classic girl-in-giant-cake number, replacing the “doll diversions” in the original Nutcracker.
Act 2 takes place in the “Land of Libations” where the burlesque stars promise to inebriate the audience with delight as they embody a variety of adult cocktails- Miami’s Aurora Natrix as Peppermint White Russian, Chicago’s Jamon Buie as Spiked Hot Chocolate, Nashville’s Miss Jenna Beth as the Snow Queen and as a French Martini complete with bath-in-a-martini-glass.
The holiday spectacle is fleshed out with Cheeky Derrière as the infamous Rat Queen and the newest full-time Key West burlesque member, recently relocated from Sarasota – drag king sensation Chief Peach as the Nutcracker Prince along with spectacular group numbers with titles such as “Key Lime Mojitos” and “Arabian Nights Coffee.”
Doors at Key West Theater open at 7:30pm, show starts at 8:00pm. Sponsored in part by the Monroe County Tourist Development Council. Tickets: thekeywesttheater.com or call 305.985.0433.