The International Burlesque Circus came to Utrecht.

From the moment I set foot in the venue I not only felt completely under dressed, I also had the feeling I just followed the White Rabbit and came to Wonderland. “Magical” is the word to describe the scenery: corsets, make-up, costumes and more importantly, happy faces.

Of course it is what happens on stage that marvels the crowd the most, and rightly so. The evening’s host’s name says it all – Mr Weird Beard warms up the crowd with his humor, as does Terrebel, even without speaking a word. The height difference of maybe forty centimeters between them adds to the hilarity of the situation, before the burlesque action begins.

Nuit Blanche is a gorgeous, tattooed blonde and as she starts to show some skin, I’m really happy to see she’s not the super thin standard of beauty. It is really empowering to watch how confidently she dances and shows her curvy figure, seducing the audience and enjoying it! Her enchanting charisma lets the crowd scream out of excitement, for everything she’s wearing at the end of her act is a fox-fur, which she leaves on stage when she exits. “Roadkill” someone shouts at Mr Weird Beard, while he announces Xarah von den Vielenregen. The Amsterdam-based Berliner performs a more artistic number, with lots of feathers; classic burlesque – maybe even a bit cliché, but wonderfully done.

To shake things up a bit, Florian Brooks gives us some incredibly elegant jugglery: top hat and walking stick in hand (well, sort of) he defies gravity, with style. For the following act, the Canadian Champagne Sparkles gives a naughty twist to our childhood heroes with a Muppet-like prop that dances and undresses her to the famous ‘Lullaby Of Birdland (Mahna Mahna)’.

After the pause, Nuit Blanche returns with a fun and sexy version of the Little Mermaid’s transformation into a complete human. Florian Brooks charms us once again, this time with a more classical juggling number, but still wearing an elegant suit. Champagne Sparkles improves her comedy with “Wonder Bra”, a satire about girls finding the perfect undergarments. The performance is great, no doubt, but the issue strikes me as irritating: not that finding a fitting bra is the easiest thing to do, but it felt a bit exaggerated.

Xarah von den Vielenregen has an ace up her sleeve, with another classy act full of feathers, glitter and mystery. The big finale belongs to Jay C., an acrobat, who standing on his hands, takes off all his clothes. This was certainly a huge turn-on, in spite of his funny moustache. And after the charity tombola, the show comes to an end, giving in to a great party, full of dancing to Disney soundtracks and green fairies from the absinthe booth.