Fuck Valentine’s Variety Show
Ruckus Revival
The Continental Club
Oakland
Feb. 8, 2024
The Ruckus Revival, now 25 years old, has had several names and many homes during its existence, but has remained a stalwart of the underground arts scene of the Bay. Its fan base includes attendees who have been showing up for more than 15 years and slogged through Pandemic era parking lot shows.
I had attended once several years back for a March 4th Star Wars version, and knew I was in for a wild ride. This month’s event was Fuck Valentine’s‑themed, and was as raunchy, goofy, and professionally performed as most could possibly hope for.
Co-host and creator Jamie DeWolf sparkled on stage in a red sequin tailcoat, indicative of his theatrical nature. His partner-in-microphone, Wonder Dave, was dressed more tamely but maintained the theme in a bright red shirt.
This variety show’s got a real kick —and not just a dancer’s high step, a rap battler’s eviscerating bars, or an aerialist’s extension. Spanning more than three hours Thursday evening, the crowd for the Ruckus Revival was full of diehard fans and performers alike, all vying for a better view and louder applause. In line ahead of me was a rainbow-spike masked person with an “assholes live forever” jacket, nearby another in full sweats. Some, like me, wore plain pants and tops, but many, many others had come decked out in a wild array of hot goth, white aging punk, harlequin, and corseted hyperfem fits. They wore colorful makeup, and platform shoes, their counterculture tastes on full display.
The current home of the show, West Oakland’s historic Continental Club, is a fairly large space; every inch of room with sightline of the stage was packed. So much so that not more than an hour into the program the pipes on the ceiling began to drip literal sweat. The freak show on stage (I say with only love) was hardly responsible.
Acts ranged from your standard fare of sexy dancers, rap battles (in a final devastating round Jane the Message hit her opponent B Nasty with multiple quips about how she could “tell he invests in socks,”) and spoken word to aerial dancing and dirty haikus. (The reigning champ kept her crown. She was good, if a little too teed in on menstruation). They also took unexpected turns, such as various small-to-medium pyrotechnics, the size O Boobzilla, Snussy, a juggling-unicycle riding duo, or a preschool teacher’s NSFW Fosse-esqe burlesque, all the way to …i mitating the orgasm that birthed your parent and other gentle incest humor. Classic stuff. (The incest way actually right at the start of the show, to warm us up).
The juggling duo Snussy (Snatch Adams and Lucy Juggles) brought the best of all Valentine/burlesque/gentle perversion to the stage — the perfect amount of titillating, if you’re into titties, but also if you’re not. They rode unicycles, jump roped rope on those unicycles, and, of course, ended up in pasties and pink lacy panties. Well coordinated, in sync, and performing genuinely astonishing tricks, the duo brought the house down.
As we were reminded several times throughout the evening, underground art from low lifes likes these exists only if you show up. (Side note: the can of Modelo I purchased part way through was NINE DOLLARS, so underground may no longer truly apply here, but I digress). And I, for one, am grateful to every performer who takes the stage everywhere, including the audience, so that we might get a laugh or a feeling, or if we’re lucky, a sense of awe and wonder. And if you ask nicely, you too might get an invite to Jane’s upcoming Zoom nuptials.
The Ruckus Revival hosts shows monthly. Their next one is March 14; tickets can be purchased here.
