I have a special affinity for the art of burlesque. The Swarovski crystal-bedazzled spectacle of empowerment that reclaims the stolen energy that solidifies shame and metamorphosizes toxic sexualization has always been inspiring to me. It marries drag, theater, circus, dance, art and performance with a simple dictate of leaving the stage with fewer clothes than you arrived with. All that Glitters by Halley Bruno of Wild Night Productions is one of the 10 offerings of Exit Theatre’s 2026 Fringe Festival and embodies all burlesque’s layers and offers a peek at its stripped realities. It is funny. It is heartfelt. It is personal. It is sincerely entertaining.
Freedom Jean (Halley Bruno) poetically sets the tone for the performance with a beautiful monologue that makes way for her entrance into the world. A doctor, mother, father, a gigantic yoni and spirited dance later, Freedom arrives ready to recount her journey from Catholic School to stage. With a biographical style and alt reality burlesque acts, the show examines her relationships with a pastor (Jonathan Abidari), Jesus (Hunter Myers), her fellow performers (Amanda Squires, Elizabeth Whittemore, Lacey Mar, Mx. Tigrizz, Lady Grinning soul) and the experiences that shape her art.
Bruno’s performance, with a Hedy Lamarr presence and Jessica Rabbit sultriness, is deeply personal. Her relationship with the text highlights a lyricism that allows her to connect to emotion. At times the style feels over-produced, which may prevent her from a deeper exploration of vulnerability. Still, the delivery is mesmerizing and authentic to the piece and places her in the golden era of actresses. Squires and Whitmore balance it out with a more technical approach that elevates their shared scenes and give dimension to backstage conversations. Though I still wanted to see a deeper juxtaposition between the spectacle of performance and the rawness of backstage, the ensuing dramatic shift make way for an absolutely stunning number that will undoubtedly forever live rent free in the audience’s mind. Mar, Tigrizz and Grinning Soul’s choregraphed “Kittens” piece is also memorable and could only be heightened by capitalizing on the intimacy of the space and holding the souls of the audience through sustained eye contact and mettle. Selkie’s vocal performance is inspiring and doesn’t need the microphone. Myers exudes confidence and beauty and owns it, and Adidari’s hip movements is a siren’s song for all the sailors.
Percival Ferrugia’s lighting design is appropriate for the space, though I wished the burlesque pieces that are reality adjacent had more to accentuate that. Still, the indigo wash that caresses an organza and metallic drape in an ethereal virginal (or vaginal, depending on perspective) Mary piece immediately silences any further criticism. The costumes (which feel as if provided by the cast’s personal performance closets) are incredible. Particularly the transparent schoolgirl handkerchief that somehow slipped on to become a perfectly fitting tied shirt top and stoned wings that lay like a haute couture dress back. Snap tape or Velcro could help conceal reveals to save premature excitement; it also plays to the small space by adding enticing sound elements. Still titillating.
Exit gives 100 percent of the ticket sales for the Fringe Festival to performers of these shows that often inspire new ideas, thoughts or ways to perform theater. It also encourages new talent and bold writing. This production does all that. After seeing it (or any of the other Fringe plays), remember to drop a dead president into the hat to ensure events housing new pieces can continue.
Performances of All That Glitters at the Exit Theater continue Friday, Nov.13, at 6 p.m. and Saturday, Nov. 21 at 4 p.m. For the full schedule of Fringe Festival plays, see the Calendar in this week’s Journal, online at northcoastjournal.com and at theexit.org.
Tiggerbouncer Custodio (he/she/they) is an empowered queer Indigenous Filipino artist whose works have been seen on Humboldt stages and elsewhere.
This article appears in El Niño is Here.