Photo by Derek Bremner

Pop Culture Nerd Orgy

Suicide Girls Blackheart Burlesque hits Eugene

According to Selena Mooney, aka Missy Suicide, in order to understand the impact of burlesque as an art form — to, as she puts it, “feel the feels” it produces for performers and audience members — you simply have to see a show.

A native Portlander, Mooney founded Suicide Girls as an online community more than 15 years ago to explore beauty in “all shapes and sizes” — the kind of beauty she saw all around her in her everyday life.

These days, Suicide Girls is a recognizable leading brand for alternative depictions of beauty and sexuality, all presented in the context of traditional burlesque, pinup-style and erotica.

And part of that brand goes beyond the internet with the Blackheart Burlesque touring show, which makes a stop June 16 at Eugene’s WOW Hall.

Mooney calls the latest edition of the show “a burlesque nerd orgy,” with routines referencing everything from Star Wars to A Clockwork Orange, from Stranger Things to Westworld and even a Bowie/Prince tribute number.

She says, via press release: “The show is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. It’s tongue-in-cheek, it’s sexy, it’s silly and highly and choreographed. It’s impossible to leave without a smile.”

Suicide Girls Blackheart Burlesque hits the stage 8 pm Friday, June 16, at WOW Hall. The show is all-ages but anyone under 18 must chaperoned by an adult. Tickets $20-$45, or pay $60 more for admission to a preshow VIP meet-and-greet; visit wowhall.org.