'Petite Rouge' review — Little Red Riding Hood bares her teeth in Company XIV's burlesque romp
Read our review of Petite Rouge, the latest new show from Brooklyn-based burlesque troupe Company XIV, running at Théâtre XIV in Bushwick through May 24.
Summary
- Petite Rouge is a 21+ burlesque adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood
- The show is anchored by powerful dancing by Cara Seymour in the title role and transforms the moralistic fairytale into one of empowerment and self-discovery
- The show is great for date night and fans of shows that incorporate a variety of performance types like dance; acrobatics; opera; and burlesque
Eat your heart out, Brooklyn. Bushwick-based theatre troupe Company XIV, known for baroque-burlesque shows like the perennial holiday favorite Nutcracker Rouge, is back with their latest offering: Petite Rouge, inspired by the story of Little Red Riding Hood. Created, directed, and choreographed by company founder Austin McCormick, Petite Rouge dives into the wolfish delights and sensuous danger of stepping out into the dark forest and making your own way in the world.
Stepping into Théâtre XIV really feels like microdosing the court of Louis XIV. Everything is lush, velvety, and shimmering with glitter, and the thick smell of incense goes hand in hand with the lightly smoky atmosphere. In keeping with the theme, McCormick rewrites the origin of Little Red ("Petite Rouge" in French) to make her French nobility, and the show opens on a lavish sequence of the character (played by Cara Seymour) receiving gifts from dukes and viscounts for her birthday. But the best gift, of course, is the red satin cloak from her Grand-mère.
Petite Rouge is serenaded along her way by divine chanteuses Lindsay Rose and Pepper Solana, and each leg of the journey through the woods is illustrated by a new scene. Company XIV combines theatre and burlesque with dance, opera, acrobatics, and more, and each new scene shows off performers like Duana Taste performing in pointe shoes or Nicholas Katen (also the associate choreographer) performing on a trapeze above the audience.
The myriad of delights that Petite Rouge — and us with her — experiences seem boundless. A personal favorite was the Roses scene, in which performer Syrena was carried from the bar into the audience on a serving platter singing “Toxic” by Britney Spears, only to transition into “Habanera” from the opera Carmen, and then back into “Toxic” — all while bellydancing, being stripped of her clothes, and maintaining a fiery chemistry with Petite Rouge. It truly has to be seen to be believed.
But Red Riding Hood’s story isn’t all fun and games, and our heroine must cross the path of the wolves waiting for a bite to eat. There is a heightened violence about Petite Rouge’s dances with the wolves (Shawn Lesniak, Colin Heininger, Tomaslav Nevistic) which makes them thrum with danger. There’s a riskier, more mature sexual tension than what recent Company XIV heroines like Queen of Hearts’s Alice or Nutcracker Rouge’s Marie-Claire shared with the characters in their respective worlds. Little Red Riding Hood is, after all, a cautionary tale.
But the confidence, power, and playfulness in Seymour’s dancing lets us know Petite Rouge will be just fine. That, and the epée she draws after parting ways with the wolves on the road to Grand-mère’s house as Act 1 ends.
Petite Rouge summary
Petite Rouge is based on folklorist Charles Perrault’s 1697 fairy tale, “Le Petit Chaperon Rouge” — or as we know it in English, “Little Red Riding Hood.” Most people know some version of this story, but Perrault’s tale has no happy endings (and no woodsmen coming to the rescue like in later versions). Austin McCormick has taken the moralistic fairy tale, which warns women against leaving their homes, and turned it into a sensual romp through a fairytale forest. Petite Rouge enters the woods as a naive, spoiled girl and leaves it having realized her sexuality, her agency, and her ability to protect herself.
What to expect at Petite Rouge
This year marks the 20-year anniversary of Company XIV, and Petite Rouge is its celebration. It has all the beloved hallmarks of a Company XIV show, but everything feels bigger, brighter, and somehow sexier. One aerial dancer is mesmerizing, but three take all the breath out of the room. Chanteuses Lindsay Rose and Pepper Solana singing on their own is transforming, but their duets feel transcendent. As Solana sings in a crescent moon outfit (the luscious costume design is by Zane Pihlström), Alexandre Barranco, Nicholas Katen, PhillVonAwesome each spin from the ceiling dressed as pieces of the night sky, and audience members can only gaze up at the living stars in our midst.
Should you wish to expand your Company XIV experience, Petite Rouge tickets also come with an optional upgrade to include a tarot reading or, intriguingly, a lipstick reading. The lipstick reading in particular is a unique flair that sets the mood before the show starts. It’s worth mentioning, however, that everything about Petite Rouge is 21+.
Who should see Petite Rouge
- With a never-ending parade of visual delights and a menu of delicious themed cocktails (also created by Austin McCormick), Petite Rouge is the perfect show for date night or a girls night out.
- Anyone who loves acrobatics and professional dance can’t help but fall for the thoroughly talented cast of Petite Rouge. From dancing on pointe to swinging from a trapeze, their array of impressive acts are sure to win hearts.
- Fans of feminist retellings of classic stories will love Petite Rouge’s character arc, embodied by Cara Seymour’s powerful dancing.
Learn more about Petite Rouge off Broadway
Fierce, sexy, and decadent, Petite Rouge is one of the most unique shows you can see in NYC. At Théâtre XIV, every sensation is a little ecstasy.
Photo credit: Petite Rouge by Company XIV. (Top image by Deneka Peniston; in-article images by Luis Suarez)
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