Food & Culture
The Triple Door’s Roman Holiday Combines Sass, Class and Glam in a Glass
Four reasons not to miss 'Wine in Rome', an intoxicating, burlesque Bacchanal
By Gavin Borchert September 21, 2017

Cabaret veterans Lily Verlaine and Jasper McCann—the masterminds behind The Triple Door’s long-running Land of the Sweets: The Burlesque Nutcracker—are reviving Burlesco DiVino: Wine in Rome, their 2013 ultra-luxe stage show of dance, comedy, striptease and music this weekend at The Triple Door. Here are four reasons not to miss this “original musical-burlesque fantasia”:
• Because it stars not only Verlaine, Seattle’s glamorous ecdysiast queen, and McCann, her loyal partner in the pageantry, but a galaxy of mega-talented local burlesque stars—including The Luminous Pariah, Paris Original and Trojan Original (check out their many appearances here)—plus actress Erika Zabelle (recently of Comedy Central’s Drunk History), the fusion belly-dance trio Tribellas, and many more;
• Because at heart it’s a classic let’s-put-on-a-show tale, as Zabelle and McCann play an American choreographer and an Italian musician trying to mount a spectacle for demanding socialite Donatella Chianti (Verlaine) under the influence of fashion models, fire dancers, gods and goddesses of antiquity, and copious amounts of the title beverage;
• Because it evokes Rome’s two golden ages, 60 A.D. and 1960 A.D., combining the elegance of Audrey Hepburn on a Vespa and the sex appeal of Sylva Koscina in a toga;
• Because—and if this doesn’t sell you on the show, what would?—in one show-stopping, breath-stopping number, Verlaine cavorts in a giant champagne coupe (1:20 in the video below).
7:30 p.m. Thurs., Sept. 21; 7 & 10:30 p.m. Fri., Sept. 22–Sat., Sept 23. Prices vary. The Triple Door, downtown, 216 Union St.; 206.838.4333; thetripledoor.net.
Burlesco DiVino Teaser 2015 from Verlaine & McCann on Vimeo.
Join The Must List
Sign up and get Seattle's best events delivered to your inbox every week.