Review – Miss Conlin Confesses

Carla Conlin is playing two different roles, and she’s starting to get them confused. By day she teaches English to rowdy high school students, by night she performs burlesque, and the two jobs are starting to feel a little bit similar to one another. They both require dress codes (it’s important not to confuse them) and for Carla to portray a character who isn’t quite her, exactly, but not exactly not her either. Regardless of her role she often needs a helpful assistant, whether it’s a teacher’s pet or a stage kitten.

Carla has a vibrant stage presence and a playful affinity for the risqué. She is honest enough to share in her ambitions and insecurities, and cheeky enough to drop a pianist joke. Addressing her audience from behind a folding screen she effects several costume changes throughout her show, from the pragmatic to the titillating to the glamorous. And Carla’s song choices, accompanied by the aforementioned pianist Matthew Carey, are tasteful numbers that allow her to show off her talents as a performer. Miss Conlin Confesses is saucy, savvy burlesque that is well worth the price of admission.