Dead Sexy at Times Scare (slide show)

Jeremy X. Halpern, age 999; Baron of Weird; Downtown Bohemia

“I came to New York in the mid-’70s, when this place was still gritty—and it was magic, seeing all the porn and kung fu. Vestiges of old burlesque were still there. [Times Scare] was so many venues over the years, the ghosts of so many shows still live here, so the haunted-house aspect feels a bit extraneous to me. But I do love haunted houses. And anything in midtown that gets the strange and weird burlesque to the tourist population will enhance Americana as a whole.”

Minnie Tonka, age: “I remember Solid Gold”; burlesque dancer; Boerum Hill, Brooklyn

“I think it’s time to bring crazy-creepy-weird back to Times Square—and what better way to do it? I love that this show demands only new burlesque acts, and weirdness, in an area full of tourists.”

Jonny Porkpie, age: “old enough to remember the old Times Square”; future mayor of NYC; Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn

“As much as I love clean, delightful places, Times Square has gotten too corporate for its own good. Getting the grittiness, the raunch, back is not only past-due, but entirely necessary. And I like to dirty whatever I can. My mayoral campaign this year is a sexiness platform, and tonight’s level of sexiness is right up that alley.”

Legs Malone, age: “eternal soul”; performer. producer and teacher; Fort Greene, Brooklyn

“To me, this is such a thrill—this is the closest I’ve been to performing on Broadway. It’s so exciting to bring quintessential New York downtown artwork to a tourist population that has never seen it before. This was a fantastic audience who really appreciated it. It’s a virgin population.”

Darlinda Just Darlinda, “rainbow”; producer of Bushwick Burlesque; Bushwick, Brooklyn

“Times Square is where burlesque started, so this felt right to me. I think this used to be a strip club—Play World! Classic burlesque is taking over the mainstream, so it’s nice to do something a little weird in a mainstream venue. And it’s fun to be creepy! I feel like comedy and death sometimes go together.”