Pretty Things Peepshow is throwback attraction

Go-Go Amy and her dancing partner, Bettina May, are building a future by looking to the past -- and taking off their clothes.

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Zach Boyden-Holmes/Staff

Coney Island Sword Swallower Steel Hop Lager

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Coney Island Albino Python

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Zach Boyden-Holmes/Staff

Coney Island Lager

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Heather Holliday

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Bettina May

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"... No matter what size and shape you are, you can look and feel glamorous. That's an eye-opening thing - and empowering." - Go-Go Amy

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Go-Go Amy performs in the Pretty Things Peepshow, a variety show featuring vintage-inspired burlesque acts as well as contemporary takes on classic sideshow attractions.

"It's funny, because nobody ever wakes up and says they are going to make a vaudeville show happen," said Go-Go Amy in a recent telephone interview. "And it has taken us a couple of years to get to this point. But what I did was build a show that I really wanted to see."

The Pretty Things Peepshow appears Friday at the Loft, 927 Broad St.

The act features Go-Go Amy and Bettina May performing disrobing dances inspired by the likes of 1940s stripteaser Gypsy Rose Lee and fan dancer Sally Rand.

They also perform more contemporary teases to a rockabilly soundtrack.

The show includes sword swallower Heather Holliday and master of ceremonies/sideshow specialist Donny Vomit.

Go-Go Amy said she always envisioned the show as being about more than creative undressing.

"I had been doing straight burlesque for a long time and discovered that a variety show like this really keeps an audience on its toes," she said. "I mean with a burlesque show, after the third dancer, well, you pretty much know what's going to happen."

Go-Go Amy has become a scholar in addition to performer. The show is as much about history, costume design and stagecraft as performance.

"I love the history of all forms of entertainment," Go-Go Amy said. "And vaudeville and burlesque are a big part of that."

She said she's careful to make sure the act continues to evolve. Any given crowd on any given evening provides the feedback that indicates what works.

"At this point, our performers are very well seasoned," she said. "In 2009, we'll have done about 150 shows. But it is important to remember that although I've taken that glove off 600 times, for an audience, this will be the first. It is what makes it new every night."

Go-Go Amy and Bettina May teach a pin-up class, designed to introduce women to the stylized hair, makeup and poses made famous in midcentury pin-ups.

Go-Go Amy said they started the classes because they found they spent an inordinate amount of time answering questions from their female fans.

"I was spending half my day teaching people how to do a pin curl," she said. "So, initially, it just made sense to put them in the same room."

Go-Go Amy and Bettina May will teach a pin-up class Saturday at the Loft.

Go-Go Amy said she found that something much more meaningful was happening behind the lipstick and curls.

"There were a lot of ladies that just hadn't really felt attractive before," she said. "This helped them. It taught them that no matter what size and shape you are, you can look and feel glamorous. That's an eye-opening thing -- and empowering."

CONEY ISLAND, BABY

When the Pretty Things hit the road, they usually bring a case or two along. You know, in case of emergency. The Peepshow has established a partnership with the New York-based Coney Island brewery and sells assorted bottles at performances. Here's a quick look at three of the Coney Island brews.

Coney Island Lager

Smooth and surprisingly sweet traditional lager that bears little resemblance to the pale-faced domestics that most people associate with American lagers. Its flavor closely mirrors the nutty brown color. Think of it as the malt-n-hops equivalent of a caramel apple.

Coney Island Sword Swallower Steel Hop Lager

This one has a little bite. It starts smooth and, though not exactly unremarkable, doesn't present anything particularly unexpected. Let it linger, and the flavor starts to snap. Hops will do that. It gives Sword Swallower a great astringent kick that refreshes and sets this beer apart.

Coney Island Albino Python

An acquired taste. It's billed as a white beer with spices, and it's heavy on the ginger. Really heavy. It tasted a lot like a traditional witbier garnished with Chinese chicken. It's sharp enough to feel refreshing and could well be a great warm-weather sipper, but it just doesn't pair well with a crisp fall evening.

Reach Steven Uhles at (706) 823-3626 or steven.uhlesaugustachronicle.com.