Bat City Bombshells

Just when you thought Austin was slowly bleeding out its old, unique character, a show of epic insanity designed to “bring back a little bit of what Austin used to be” pulls you out from the depths of coffee shop chains. “The Troy Dillinger Variety Show” owned Saturday night at the U.S. Art Authority, located next to Spider House.

The crowd was drunk before 9 p.m. and ready for a night of hilarity.

Hopping onto the stage, Dillinger, the host for the evening, welcomed the crowd with a smile and a lot of f-bombs.

Dillinger gets a little emotional when he starts talking about the purpose and history of the show. It’s his wish to return something unique and something completely Austin back to a city that sometimes seems to be on the brink of forgetting its identity, he said.

Starting off the variety show was the cabaret, punk, Texas-swing style band of “Mistress Stephanie and Her Melodic Cat.” Though the style combinations might sound off-putting, in reality, the band was an insane amount of fun to watch, especially the interactions of Mistress Stephanie and her boa-wearing, above-the-knee-boots-stomping, fishnets-and-lace-rocking male counterpart, “Kitty.”

After a brief interlude of Onion News Network videos, local comedian Bryan Gutmann was next to the stage. Overall, Gutmann was very funny. However, this view was not shared by the raging drunk in the third row, who cajoled and insulted him up until the very end, ruining what would have otherwise been a pleasant set.

The game-show portion of the variety show involved massive amounts of sex, exploring the spectrum of mere innuendo to full-on orgasms.

From boyfriends eating pizza off of their girlfriends’ laps to acting out a scene from a low-budget porno, sex was everywhere, and it was hilarious. For the final round, contestants were told to act out their best fake orgasm. Most of the men, when finished, fell to the floor.

“I don’t know why all the guys keep dying after they orgasm,” Dillinger remarked on stage.

The raunchiest part of the show came when The Bat City Bombshells took to the stage. A local burlesque troop, these women knew how to work a crowd. Those who hadn’t seen pasties since Lil Kim at the Video Music Awards circa 1999 got an eye-opening surprise while watching the group perform.

The show was a blast, though those offended or not otherwise entertained by a dose of campy humor ought to stay home. Where else in Austin can you find singing cats, comedians, game shows, and burlesque all under one roof?

The next “The Troy Dillinger Variety Show” is on Friday, August 21st at the U.S. Art Authority. - The Daily Texan