Heat Wave on Stage

Long before danced-crazed reality TV shows like So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing with the Stars were filmed, Burn the Floor was wowing audiences with fancy footwork from the stage.

The dance extravaganza has toured through 30 countries before its stop here in Tulsa for eight performances. The New York Times called it "dazzling!" while The Times London said it was "summer's hottest ticket!"

The show features dancers of relative fame: Ashleigh Di Lello, Ryan Di Lello, Robbie Kmetoni, Janette Menrara, and Karen Hauer all hail from So You Think You Can Dance, with four of them landing in top 12 finalist positions.

Ashleigh and Ryan Di Lello were the first married couple to compete on the television show, each of them having danced since they were children. Ashleigh started dancing at 12 and has since performed in 19 countries, often winning competitions and teaching classes. Ryan started even younger, at 4, and has competed and won in world competitions. Together, the Di Lellos went all the way to the show's finale.

The performance also features Vonzell Solomon, a female vocalist you may remember from the 4th season of American Idol, where she finished as second runner-up. Solomon has since started her own record label, Melodic Records, and will be debuting her new CD release during the tour.

Directed and choreographed by Jason Gilkison, Burn the Floor travels through time and space with dances from all over the world and throughout history. Audiences will widely diverse dances such as the jive, the paso doble, the Viennese waltz, and the tango, not to mention styles like mambo, swing, and quickstep. Burn the Floor takes the viewer to Harlem, where dances like foxtrot, Charleston, and Lindy were first realized, and through the Latin world, enjoying moves from the cha-cha, rumba, and salsa.

Burn the Floor stages in the Chapman Music Hall of Tulsa Performing Arts Center, Jan. 11-13 at 7:30pm; Jan. 14-15 at 8pm; Jan. 15-16 at 2pm; and Jan. 16 at 7pm. For tickets and information, visit tulsapac.com.

Love 'Letter'

Theatre Tulsa is presenting The Scarlet Letter, a stage adaptation of the famous and beloved American novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

The adaptation tells the classic tale of Hester Prynne, a woman who has committed adultery and is therefore sentenced to wear a scarlet 'A' on her dress, marked forever as a sinner. In spite of tremendous pressure from the community around her, Prynne refuses to identify her lover, who is also the father of Pearl, her daughter. The 17th-century story about puritanical Boston turns explosive when Prynne's estranged husband returns and demands to know whom she committed adultery with. The story is narrated by Prynne's daughter, Pearl, who tells the scandalous tale of hypocrisy with elements of honor and pride.

The cast includes Brigid Kimery Vance as Hester Prynne and is Leanna Duncan as Pearl. Xavier Sagel plays Arthur Dimmesdale, with Rick Luttrell as Roger Chillingworth. Also on stage is Premadonna Braddick as Mistress Hibbins, and Freddie Tate as Governor Bellingham. Michael Wright directs.

The Scarlet Letter stages Jan. 14-15 and 20-22 at 7:30pm; and Jan. 16 at 2pm. in the John H. Williams Theatre of the Tulsa Performing Arts Center. For tickets and information, visit tulsapac.com.

Lips Service

This week at Nightingale Theater, 1416 E. 4th St., TwoLips Burlesk presents Titillate the 918, a burlesque show with special guests Ilsa the Wolf, Bossy L'Amour, and Nikki Trash, featuring Emcee Hilton Price.

Performances are Jan. 14 and 15 at 9pm. Doors open at 8:15pm. Tickets are $10. Mature audiences only.

Tone Def

Visit Looney Bin, 6808 S. Memorial Dr., this week for a stand-up comedy routine by Tony Tone, who has appeared on television comedy shows like HBO's Def Comedy Jam, and BET's Comic View. He has previously performed with Dave Chapelle, Steve Harvey, and other notable comedians, and enjoyed praise in the New York Times.

Tony Tone performs Jan. 12-15 at 8pm, with additional performances 10:30pm on Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $6-10. Mature audiences only.

Happy Hour

As always, The Spotlight Theatre, 1381 Riverside Dr., presents The Drunkard and The Olio every Saturday night at 7:30pm. This old-fashioned show is the longest-running play in America, in which the audience is encouraged to cheer at the hero and boo at the villain, among other fun antics.

Coming up

Will Rogers Heritage Inc. presents Will Rogers' Romance with Betty and America, a musical drama about the life of Betty Rogers (1879-1935), wife of Oklahoma legend Will Rogers. This one-woman show stars Lynette Bennett, an actress who has played television roles in shows like One Life to Live and Married with Children, not to mention the Broadway production of Funny Girl. The show is offered one night only and will be recorded for video, so arrive early as there will be no late seating.

Will Rogers' Romance with Betty and America stages Jan. 26 at 7:30 pm in the John H. Williams Theatre of the Tulsa Performing Arts Center. For tickets and information, visit tulsapac.com.