THEATRE

The Boston Babydolls present a very dark shade of burlesque in this archetypal underworld tavern where hearts, promises, and crockery are broken with abandon and secrets are hidden just below the surface.

The Wrathskellar is just off an alley in Queen Victoria's London or down a flight of stairs that Mack the Knife might have tread. In the dim limelight, a chanteuse sings forlornly of a lost love, while The Diva plots revenge for some imagined slight and The Lost Girl wonders if she'll ever get home.

A departure from The Boston Babydolls usual mix of bubbly fun and retro glamour, The Wrathskellar is a moody whirlpool of sinister dirges, predatory laments, and torch songs in a minor key. Instead of big band and swing, the soundtrack for The Wrathskellar features atmospheric and evocative works from Ute Lemper, Jacques Brell, Tom Waits, and Rufus Wainwright.