Buster Von Strapp: Burlesque's Boy Wonder Bombshell
Mixing a potpourri of unexpected talents, Buster has experimented with everything from sultry striptease to tap dancing in scuba flippers. You won’t be able to look away from the entrancing curiosities that abound as he challenges and redefines conceptions of masculinity!
The drama! The costume perfection! The dance precision!
You can expect all this and more when this multi-talented burlesque performer takes the stage. Buster continues to challenge himself much to the delight of his audiences.
We can’t wait to see what he has in store for us next! Prepare to be inspired as Buster regales us with a few tricks of his trade!
What is next for you in terms of performance, creative projects?
I will be doing a number I’ve wanted to for quite some time. It’s a number where I’m Shakespeare performing his poetry at a tavern, but it’s performed like a rock concert. I’m really looking forward to digging into the ego of this version of Shakespeare and playing it up a lot. Down the road, I have a concept for a western number that I’m excited to put together at some point.
What is the last thing you do before stepping on stage?
Right before I go onstage, I close my eyes, take deep breaths, limber up with a couple of last stretches, and picture in my head my character and their motivations in that moment. I like to approach my performance as a story, even if there is not a particularly obvious plot line. There’s always some kind of motivation that can be played.
What is one of your most challenging burlesque numbers, and how did you do? Take us through your process.
My “Cry me a River” number. I purposely made that number as a challenge to myself, and it’s definitely a number I want to refine and perform again. I made the choreography more technical and precise than most of my numbers are (most are already pretty precise but have some wiggle room), and I choreographed it to have a lot of slower movement. Moving slower and letting my stage presence take up space instead of lots of movement has always been a challenge for me.
Describe your most challenging costume or prop.
I challenged myself with the costume construction for my “Cry me a River” act. I made a bra with magnetic cups and separate layers of magnetic fringe layered on it, and a voluminous sheer robe with a fur collar. I also made a quick release panel skirt and underwear with draped beadery on it. I tried a decent number of new things with making this costume.
Tell us about your journey to, and with The Candybox Revue.
I started doing burlesque my first year in college, because I wanted to challenge myself to do something I was uncomfortable with and come out of my shell more. After I moved to Georgia from Iowa, I was going to some burlesque shows to try and connect with a troupe to join. I helped produce a Renaissance Faire themed burlesque benefit and reached out to Roula Roulette for some assistance. She gladly helped, and the show went well. Shortly after that, Candybox had open auditions to help make the troupe larger and I jumped on the opportunity. I’ve been performing with them ever since!
You can find Buster and fellow members of The Candybox Revue burlesque shows at Metropolitan Studios in Atlanta.