Burlesque-Music-Magic - Could It Be Friday Night In Yakima?

Let's turn back the clock 100 years. Let's say it's not 2022 but in fact, it's April 1, 1922.

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Friday night, April Fool's ...and just what kind of entertainment might you expect to find in Yakima in 1922?

Well, the Spanish Flu pandemic is over and people are starting to move around again. The World War is over and "Happy Days are Here Again". The 20's are Roaring!

Radio has been a thing in America for just two years with only 30 stations in the whole country and Television won't come to Yakima for another 31 years!

The Silent Movie industry is coming on strong and there's talk on the street that we might even hear talk on the screen within the next five years. The big hits of 2022 include

Blood and Sand. ...
Grandma's Boy. ...
Nanook of the North. ...
Oliver Twist. ...
Orphans of the Storm. ...
The Prisoner of Zenda. ...
Robin Hood. ...
Smilin' Through.

So we could take in a movie... the ticket price is 7 cents. A coke is a nickle.

How about going out for a drink? Tricky. National Prohibition went into effect in 1920 but Washington State went there four years earlier. The state has been "Dry" since 1916! But...that doesn't mean that "spirits" are nowhere to be found. If you know the right door, the secret knock, the password, and the handshake, the world of the Speakeasy is open to you.

Likely we'll drink a Gin Rickey with bathtub-made gin going for about 25 cents a shot. (actually made in a real bathtub!)

2 ounces gin
1/2 ounce lime juice, freshly squeezed
Club soda, to top
Garnish: lime wheels

Or maybe just maybe, we could go to a burlesque show -- described as a multi-act performance featuring, music, magic/comic/jugglers, and an "exotic dancer". Burlesque gave birth to vaudeville but the movies will add sound and prohibition will complicate things and both will ultimately lead to the demise of the genre.

BUT...tonight at the Seasons Performance Hall in 2022, there IS a Burlesque show to attend. Spirits are served, there's music, magic acts, comedy, and a tasteful exotic dancer act or three. Doors open at 6:30. Tickets are $15 for the 18 and over crowd only.

It will be an April Fool's Evening to remember. Check out the description on the Seasons website . And listen to some of the performers describe what's to come when they appeared on the radio earlier this week!