Update: Wed, 3/28 get 1/2 price tickets for tonight’s show at Hale’s Palladium by using promo code word rubberband. Click here for tickets.

When was the last time you were aware of your face hurting because of smiling & laughing for hours?  Treat yourself to a night of quality and diverse entertainment: open your calendar right now to find a date to catch The Moisture Festival, before it disappears after April 8th. You’ll still be smiling when you take the time to come back to this blog to thank me.

The Moisture Festival takes the stage in three venues this year: Broadway Performance Hall, Georgetown Ballroom and Hale’s Palladium (grab a pretzel and a beer before you take your seat).  Now in it’s nineth year, The Moisture Festival stays true to its mission “to enrich the community by presenting an affordable annual festival showcasing the art of live comedy/ variete performance.”

Last year, I was a bit apprehensive of seeing yet another burlesque show as the boom of performances in this genre in the last few years have left many Seattleites, myself included, exhausted by the quantity without guaranteed quality.  There seems to be a new troupe forming around ever corner.  I’m a fan of burlesque, but my standards are high – the talent, skill and innovation have got to be there in the acts to make it a burlesque show worth telling your friends to see.  Moisture Festival does not disappoint – pulling from the cream of the crop of Seattle talent while bringing unique and charming performers from afar to also perform.  Some local favorites, Fuchsia Foxxx, Inga Ingenue, Lily Verlaine and Waxie Moon, show us their skills along with many out of towners. Check out the full performer list, here. Burlesque has been a part of Moisture Festival since 2005 and they do a fantastic job at curating these nights.

This year, however, my main intention was to catch the Comedy/Variete performances. Having been to Hale’s Palladium recently for Honk! Around the World (enjoying dancing in the crowd to Tubaluba and other bands), I was excited to return to this quirky venue.  Musicians, physical comedians, comedic musicans and more took the stage in what is truly a perfect venue for these types of acts.  The night itself reminded me a bit of the shows one would expect to find in The Night Circus, a delightful novel that whisks its readers into a different land.  Moisture Festival truly catapults its audience into a different world, one where all your troubles are gone (except, perhaps, the monster under the bed in a jaw-dropping “did they just say that” song). Your only job is to laugh.

I want to go into detail about the best acts of the show, but don’t want to spoil the surprises for you (this is a spoiler-free blog, after all).  One of the biggest crowd pleasers from the night I attended was Amy G, not surprisingly the granddaughter of a vaudevillian acrobat/ukulele playing song and dance man. She brought down the house with laughter and always leaves the stage with a ton of admirers. You have to see her to understand the joy that this physical comedian brings to her audience, and trust me, you will thank me later (though, not for the faint of heart).

It’s clear why Gazzo (wise enough to project his magic cup and balls trick onto a screen so even those in the back could get a good look) gets such rave reviews from Penn and Teller – Seattle is lucky to have him visit.  And Kamikaze Fireflies reminded us that sometimes an act just needs a few props and a lot of hot air…plus audience participation of course.

The night ended with a standing ovation and I’m sure many of the audience, myself included, will be back to enjoy more performances before the festival ends.  Do yourself a favor and clear a night in your schedule before April 8th and buy tickets to a show.  No matter if it’s Burlesque or Comedy/Variete, no matter who is performing that night, you can put your faith in Moisture Festival – these folks do it RIGHT.

Disclaimer: Seattle Pockets was provided 2 tickets to Moisture Festival.  All opinions expressed in this post, as always, are mine – compensation or gifts will never alter the opinions or thoughts shared on this blog. Full disclaimer, here.