Yes, a former Cheaters TV show facility in Dallas is becoming a circus and burlesque bar. Let me explain.
The crew behind Viva Dallas Burlesque lost its stage at the Lakewood Theater in January. That historic venue may be renovated into an art-house movie theater. So Shoshana Portnoy, a producer for burlesque and circus shows, is opening a new place for burlesque troupes to perform.
[UPDATE: After months of delays, Viva's Lounge will open in the Design District on Saturday, Dec. 12.]
'We had no idea [it was a former Cheaters facility] until we got to this giant vault,' co-owner Portnoy says.
"It's a solid, impenetrable fixture we couldn't get into. ... It's where they hid all their footage." A representative from Cheaters confirmed workers on the show did, indeed, do post-production work at that Dallas location.
Viva's Lounge, at 1350 Manufacturing St. in Dallas, will eventually be open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays for specific events such as burlesque shows, circus performances, jazz concerts, weddings and the like. It will have a full bar.
Viva's Lounge won't serve food, though the smell of popcorn will be piped through the room. It's a circus space, after all.
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The ceiling will have contraptions hanging from it, such as aerial silks, for the circus and burlesque dancers, Portnoy says.
The open room will look like a circus tent, with fabric hanging as if it were a big top.
The kickoff show will be Festivus Follies, a burlesque variety show.
