Where can you see half-naked Stormtroopers this spring in Vancouver?

February 29, 2016
SC
By Shawn Conner
3 min read

A new Star Wars movie can only mean one thing. Well, actually, it can mean a lot of things.

But one of the side-products of The Force Awakens, the hugely successful 2015 addition to the Star Wars movie canon, is burlesque routines inspired by the adventures of Han Solo, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. And it looks like April is going to give fans plenty of opportunity to see half-naked Stormtroopers as both a local company and a U.S.-based troupe bring some raunch to the family-friendly franchise.

The Force is Shakin’ marks the fifth in the Geekenders’ series of Star Wars parody burlesque shows, after A Nude Hope, The Empire Strips Back, Reveal of the Jedi, and Love in Alderaan Places. The Vancouver-based company describes their take on The Force Awakens as “Star Wars meets Moulin Rouge and the Muppet Show.” It runs April 15 and 16 and again on International Star Wars Day (it’s a real thing) on May 4 at the Rio Theatre (1660 E. Broadway).

The new show features choreography from Patrice Bowler (performing under the name Miss Bacon N. Legs), assisted by Geekenders regulars Stefanie Michaud (Effie Alexandra) and Jane Doe (Jayne Fondue), and book and direction by Geekenders artistic director Fairlith Harvey (aka Trixie Hobbitses). The team has assembled 30 burlesque showgirls, actors, dancers, and comedians to help create what they are calling “the most ultimate tribute to pop culture that Vancouver has ever seen,” with stripteases and performances using music by The Spice Girls, Queen, Blondie, and The Lonely Island, among others.

Tickets are $20 in advance (available through riotheatretickets.ca) and $25 at the door. Visit geekenders.ca for more info.

If that wasn’t enough, on April 26 the Suicide Girls Blackheart Burlesque show returns to Vancouver for a show at the Vogue Theatre (918 Granville St.). The tattooed vixens will perform routines based on Star Wars as well as Orange Is The New Black, Donnie Darko, and A Clockwork Orange. The touring show features a “high energy indie soundtrack and the sexiest choreographed striptease to make your inner nerd explode with glee,” according to a Facebook update.

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Suicide Girls Blackheart Burlesque at the Rickshaw Theatre Vancouver April 2 2014. Patrick Rooney photo.

Advance tickets are $32.50 (general admission) and $62.50 (reserved seating), along with special GA VIP (includes Priority entry, meet and greet, photo/signing opportunity and VIP lanyard) for $102.50 and VIP Reserve Seating for $132.50 + service charges available online at Unionevents.com and Ticketfly.com. General admission are also available at the Vogue Theatre.

half-naked Stormtroopers
Vancouver
Star Wars burlesque
The Force Awakens
Han Solo
Luke Skywalker
Princess Leia
burlesque show