Gazelles & Garters: A Song of Songs Burlesque! at Theatre Ariel

THEATRE ARIEL MAKES FRINGE DEBUT WITH BURLESQUE BASED BY BIBLICAL TEXT

Gazelles & Garters: A Song of Songs Burlesque! brings an ancient poem to life at Cannonball Fest

[PHILADELPHIA, PA, August, 2025] — Theatre Ariel, Philadelphia’s premiere professional theatre dedicated to staging stories of the Jewish experience, is exposing a whole new side of itself this fall with its first-ever Philadelphia Fringe Festival offering: Gazelles & Garters: A Song of Songs Burlesque! The production runs for four performances this September as part of Cannonball Fest, the largest and most established producing hub within the Philly Fringe.

“This idea was one of the first I had when I stepped into my role at Theatre Ariel,” says Producing Artistic Director Jesse Bernstein, now entering his fourth season with the company. “The format and the festival are both new to us. We’re hoping to surprise our current audience, maybe give them a little thrill, and reach new audiences that might have a different or perhaps out-dated impression of what ‘Jewish theatre’ can be.”

Gazelles & Garters is inspired by The Song of Songs, a famously lyrical and sensual set of poems in the Hebrew Bible. Often interpreted as both erotic and allegorical, as either a dialogue between two human lovers or one between God and the Jewish people, the text serves as the foundation for this boundary-pushing performance. The title is partly a nod to a famous metaphor running throughout the poem (“My lover is like a gazelle…” [2:9]) and partly a nod to a bit of classic burlesque-performer attire.

The production features a mix of burlesque, song, and spoken word, bringing key verses from the text to tantalizing life. Hosted by beloved Philadelphia drag icon Eric Jaffe and co-produced by local burlesque artist Isa Ardiente, the show also features performances by Selene Rose and actor Anna Faye Lieberman, who will deliver excerpts from the original poem.

“I think this is some of the most beautiful poetry in the Bible and we’re honoring that,” Bernstein assures audiences, and that also means bringing the emotional and physical elements of the text to the forefront. “Theatre is a space where the so-called ‘holy’ and the so-called ‘profane’ intersect, and Gazelles & Garters is a celebration of that intersection.”

Performance Schedule: Asian Arts Initiative, 1219 Vine Street, Philadelphia.

• Sunday, September 7 at 9:30 PM

• Wednesday, September 10 at 8:30 PM

• Thursday, September 11 at 9:30 PM

• Sunday, September 14 at 9:30 PM

Tickets: General admission is $25 or Pay-What-You-Decide at the door. Audience members may also choose a Supporter Ticket ($50 or more), which includes reserved front-row seating.

All tickets are available through the Fringe box office: https://phillyfringe.org/events/gazelles-garters-a-song-of-songs-burlesque/

For more information, visit: www.theatreariel.org

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Theatre Ariel is a 501(c) 3 non-profit whose mission is to stage stories of the Jewish experience. We invite everyone to participate in our work as a catalyst for conversation and change.