So they say that the Mayan calendar posits that doomsday is near. For mortals curious about post-apocalyptic survival, Frenetic Theater and the Houston Zombie Walk offered what such a scenario may look like Saturday night.
The strobe of a siren light atop an official SUV tipped off drivers approaching "Apocalypse Ball" that something had gone terribly wrong inside this freaky warehouse.
It wasn't "unusual" to find Barry Manilow and Elvis Presley donning a Goth jumpsuit and singing, accompanied by the syth-pop timber of an obsolete Nintendo and Commodore 64. Raunchy cyborgs with a penchant for blood and green slime — accessorized by feathers, shiny tassels and pearl-studded lingerie — stripped 1920s burlesque-style in an impish cabaret.
Walking corpses krumped and dark dominatrices/vixens in torn fishnets, gold bustiers and combat boots seduced with fire blazing from their fingers.
Those crazies morphed the east end building into an artsy toxic wasteland, one that raised funds for the looming Houston Fringe Festival, which runs Aug. 30 to Sept. 15.
Bring it on.
Creating the fantasy ambiance was the wry Robert Thoth, who earned a few "indecent" cat calls from the over-capacity, standing-room only 140-plus throng; the naughty Dem Damn Dames' Midnight Joy, Tifa Tittlywinks and LaLa LeRoux; ChinaCat Dance's Maggie Lasher, Jilianne Barzilla, Brittany Barnett and Lyndsay Lunsmann; and FrenetiCore Dance Theater's Kira Boerkircher, Rebecca French, Taylor Martin, Mollie Miller, Dorianne Castillo-Rivera and Mallory Horn.
Those crazies morphed the East End building into an artsy toxic wasteland, one that raised funds for the looming Houston Fringe Festival, which runs Aug. 30 to Sept. 15.
The event also raised awareness for the upcoming Zombie Walk on Oct. 27, a downtown quarantine zone street bash that benefits Houston Children's Charity, Dove Key Ranch Wildlife Rehab and Spay/Houston, and also launches the comic book series, Tales of the Houston Zombie Walk, published by Austin-based CCP Comics with art by Franz Josef.
Adding to the theme was Action Figure Laboratories CEO and Rice MBA grad Phillip Leech, who enticed ghoulish guests with the option of crafting their own three dimensional gizmo via computer imaging. Zeapod Cakery's Liz Hale tempted with an elaborate five-flavor fondant cake. Vanilla, strawberry, cookies and cream, chocolate and red velvet — it didn't last too long.
Sales of photographs, paintings, metalwork and multimedia exhibits by Daniel Anguilu, Rachael Harmeyer, Bret Harmeyer, Kyle Fu and artists from Zen Art Space fattened up the piggy bank.
Among the undead were Houston Zombie Walk commander Darren Tompkins in formal wear, toting a machine gun, Houston Endowment's David Lake, Adam Walker, Voltaire Cabigoni, Jerry Warren, Lena Silva, Adriana Flores, Lady Cocchia, Kyle Fu, Lindsay Lewis, Cathy Neff, Tyler Davenport, Leah Lewis, Karen Grant, Norman Lyle Futrell, Kehinbe Hart, Robert Lucas and Courtney Locke.
