The Iowa School of Burlesque hosted Varietease, a variety show featuring drag, burlesque, aerial and music performances, at DG’s Tap House Sept. 25, the first night of the Maximum Ames Music Festival.

Performers rehearsed right up until the doors opened at 9 p.m. and took the stage at 10:30 p.m. The crowd was slow to build, most of whom showed up around 10 p.m. 

In the meantime, the early audience members had to pass the time listening to ambient music and messages from Craigslist, read by one of the Varietease members. The tipsy audience members didn’t seem to enjoy it. 

When the show did start, it did not disappoint. Once the show began, everyone crowded around the stage area to catch a glimpse of the show and dance along, which left it hard to catch what was going on.

There were several individual acts with a variety of personalities and outfits. The performers were tipped by audience members throughout the show. 

One of the performances I thought was hilarious featured a nerd-looking character, Duke LeSling. He began his act at a desk with books titled “Being Sexy 4 Dummies” and “Twerking 101,” which were written on white paper with Sharpie and glued half hazardly to magazines. 

The other members of Varietease could be seen mingling with the crowd throughout the show. Overall, Varietease surpassed my expectations. 

4/5