such a tease

World's biggest burlesque show by ravishing Dita Von Teese set to entice Houston next year

She is nothing less than ravishing.

Courtesy photo

The world's biggest burlesque show is touring the U.S. in 2023 and that includes a stop in Houston: Glamorous burlesque queen Dita Von Teese will bring her Glamonatrix burlesque show to 19 cities across the U.S., kicking off on January 7 in Seattle, and stopping at Houston's Bayou Music Center on January 24.

According to a release, Houston will be one of three stops across Texas, also including the Dallas' Majestic Theatre on January 20 and Paramount Theatre in Austin on January 22.

The U.S. tour follows a 41-show overseas tour with stops in London, Monte Carlo, and Vienna.

Tickets go on sale at 10 am Friday, September 16 at Ticketmaster.com. Citi cardmembers have access to presale tickets beginning 11 am September 13 through 10 pm September 15 at www.citientertainment.com.

In addition to starring, Von Teese is also producer and director, and strives to elevate and modernize the typical 1940s typical burlesque show in an inspiring and uplifting way. That includes inclusive and multi-faceted casting, showcasing the talents of male, female, and gender-fluid performers from around the world to create a body-positive, celebratory show.

Hosted by Jonny McGovern ("Hey Qween!", "Go-Go for the Gold"), the Glamonatrix show includes extravagant production numbers from Dita and cast, including revered burlesque performers such as the legendary Dirty Martini, choreographer Alek Palinski, and Zelia Rose, one of the lead performers of Hamilton Australia.

Newcomers include Lana Kai Fox, Tosca Rivola, and Laszlo Major. Dita will be joined in select cities by special guests that include ballroom world champion Umario Diallo partnering Dita in a striptease Latin dance.

Costumes are by Jenny Packham, Mister Pearl, Alexis Mabille, and Catherine D’Lish, plus bespoke fetish footwear by Christian Louboutin, some on display as part of the Louboutin "L'Exhibition(iste)" in Monaco.

The tour dates are as follows:

January 7 – Seattle – Paramount Theatre
January 10 – Vancouver, BC – Queen Elizabeth Theatre
January 13-15 – San Francisco – Palace of Fine Arts
January 17 – Portland – Keller Auditorium
January 20 – Dallas – Majestic Theatre
January 22 – Austin – Paramount Theatre
January 24 – Houston – Bayou Music Center
January 27 – New Orleans – Orpheum Theatre
January 29 – Atlanta – Tabernacle
February 02 – Washington DC – Warner Theatre
February 4 – Toronto – Queen Elizabeth Theatre
February 7 – Montreal – Theatre Maisonneuve
February 09 – New York – Beacon Theatre
February 11 – Boston – Orpheum Theatre
February 14 – Chicago – Chicago Theatre
February 16 – Detroit – The Fillmore Detroit
February 18 – Louisville – The Louisville Palace
February 22 – El Cajon, California – The Magnolia
February 24 – Riverside, California – Fox Performing Arts Center

Von Teese is credited internationally with reviving burlesque, and setting a new benchmark for this great American art form with a sense of elegance, style and sophistication. She's written two books including New York Times bestseller Your Beauty Mark: The Ultimate Guide to Eccentric Glamour, considered requisite reading for pin-up, burlesque, and fashion fans, and is currently writing a third, Fashioning the Femme Totale.

She also can be seen performing her iconic Champagne Glass act in the film Don’t Worry Darling.

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Movie Review

Over-the-top thriller The Housemaid revels in camp, chaos, and excess

Photo courtesy of Lionsgate

Amanda Seyfried and Sydney Sweeney in The Housemaid.

Both Amanda Seyfried (the upcoming The Testament of Ann Lee) and Sydney Sweeney (Christy) are starring in movies with Oscar ambitions this year. By sheer coincidence, the two actors are also co-starring in The Housemaid, a thriller coming out within weeks of their more ambitious works, one that is likely to be seen by many more people than those prestige plays.

Sweeney is given top billing as Millie, a down-on-her-luck ex-convict looking to land any type of job so as not to break her parole. She finds a too-good-to-be-true lifeboat with Nina (Seyfried), who hires her to be a housemaid for her large house on Long Island, where she lives with her husband, Andrew (Brandon Sklenar), and daughter, Cecilia (Indiana Elle).

After a warm interview, Nina almost immediately becomes highly erratic, whipping back-and-forth between happy-go-lucky and rageful. It seems clear that Nina is suffering from mental health issues, as she’ll often accuse Millie of misplacing or stealing items that she didn’t take. Andrew, apparently used to Nina’s tirades, tries to protect Millie from the worst, something that grows increasingly difficult as Nina ups the ante.

Directed by Paul Feig (A Simple Favor) and adapted by Rebecca Sonnenshine from the bestselling book by Freida McFadden, the film is likely the trashiest mainstream movie to come out in 2025. The first half of the movie relies not on story but on moments as Nina embodies the word “hysterical” to an unbelievable extent. The resigned acceptance of the abuse by Millie, as well as the saintly patience of Andrew, make almost every scene laughable, as nobody seems to be acting anywhere close to how a person would normally react to such extreme situations.

The scenes and the performance of Seyfried are so over-the-top, in fact, that it’s clear that the filmmakers are in on the joke. It’s next to impossible not to have a little bit of fun while watching the actors react to outrageous incidents as if nothing is out of the ordinary. The worse Nina acts, the more Millie and Andrew retreat into their chosen roles, and the funnier the film becomes.

Fans of the book will know that the story changes course, eventually turning into a more stereotypical thriller that also has some relatively gnarly visuals to offer. But the trashiness continues, with Sweeney’s, um, assets repeatedly on display in both clothed and unclothed ways. The sex appeal of the R-rated movie makes it an outlier, as recent studio films have shied away from asking their big stars to disrobe completely.

Both Seyfried and Sweeney are far from their Oscar hopeful roles here. Seyfried is given free rein to act as brazenly as she pleases, and she takes full advantage of that ability. Sweeney seems to have been told to be much more reserved, and unfortunately that results in too many wooden line readings. Sklenar continues his breakout streak (It Ends with Us, Drop) with a role that allows him to show more range than either Seyfried or Sweeney.

The Housemaid is an unusual type of movie to be released at a time of year when most films are either those aiming for awards or more family-friendly fare. Despite its many flaws, it’s still an enjoyable watch that features a variety of crazy scenarios not typically seen in movies nowadays.

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The Housemaid is now playing in theaters.

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