Burlesque has a long history, and it is very much alive in Austin.
As a comedic and exaggerated stage performance originating in Europe four centuries ago, it became popular in the United States after the Civil War. It came under attack during the Prohibition era of the 1920s, as burlesque houses were viewed as places of uninhibited drinking, and the rise of morality squads in the 1940 and 50s saw the closure of many theatres. Fast forward to 2026 and there are several places here in Austin where burlesque is flourishing.
One of these is Stage Austin, where Subliminal Productions is presenting a show entitled Error 404 this weekend.
My lead photo is from a performance by Munster Mash. Introduced as “Austin’s favourite cockroach,” he literally wore that identity, to the delight of the audience.
In her introduction to Munster Mash, the MC (in the guise of an electronic delivery system that kept experiencing errors, hence the show’s title) said “There seems to be an alarming quality, or quantity, of blocked adult content. This next act contains what my programmers legally classify as ‘concerning levels of horniness.’” This was greeted by whistles and catcalls from the audience! “My hardware is looking forward to it. What did you people do to me? And why do I like it?”
My second photo is the dual-masked figure of Devin Alfather. The entire cast is shown in the photo below.
So how would I describe the event for those who have never been to such a show? I can’t really, but I can tell you how to get the vibe of it. If you watch the Luvliner episode of The Lexx (a wild sci-fi TV show from the 1990s, streaming now on RokuTV), your mind will be primed and ready to have dildos of different sizes and colour thrown at you by the final act, MK Ultra!
Several vendors at Stage Austin are offering a range of goods from fetish gear to candles. And for a tasty treat when you go tonite, sample what Clementine Bakes has to offer; cherry almond cupcake, lemon lavender slushie, choc chip cookies and more. You can find them on Instagram.
Here are the talented performers in the Error 404:
Zenyth; Aya; the quartet of Clementine Haze, Luci LaShell, Mx Lady LaShell & Venus Fur; Lilith Azazel; Cherry Sinatra; Lilith Allure; Devin Alfather; Munster Mash; Sleaze McQueen; MK Ultra.
For this and other alternative entertainment events in the city, visit the website