By Angelica Frey
“Louis XIV himself was a dancer. Dance was so much a part of court life. The immersive quality of the spectacles that he would throw—there would be parties that would last 24 hours, opulent feasts with entertainment and new work—were where all of the senses were united. That’s something I strive to do with the company.”
Watch the Company XIV cast perform “Let Me Eat Cake” from Petite Rouge live on Fox5 Good Day New York!
By Vinesh Vora
“Running through October 31, Petite Rouge takes Charles Perrault’s 1697 fable Little Red Riding Hood and flips the morality tale on its head. Where the original was written to preach caution to the court of Louis XIV, McCormick turns the dark woods into a playground of desire and agency.”
By Carissa Chesanek
“Looking back, I’m overwhelmed by the thousands of performances we’ve produced, the hundreds of pounds of glitter and confetti that’s fallen from the sky after every can-can, and the hundreds of thousands of cocktails and bottles of Champagne we’ve served.
Company XIV has grown from a passionate experiment into a home for artists and audiences who crave something decadent, welcoming, sensual, transporting, and life-affirming.
The greatest celebration is continuing to create. This season we’re marking the anniversary with Petite Rouge at Théâtre XIV. We’re toasting the incredible community that has sustained us. Our artists, our creative team, and the audiences who have believed in this rhinestone-studded, beautiful vision for two decades.”
By Claudia Bauer
“I’m not the kind of choreographer that makes movement first, and then we put the costumes on; I think about it as one integrated challenge. Studying with my Baroque dance teacher, we were really interested in how costumes informed the movement. Big dresses, panniers, shoes, wigs—the obstacle of the costume can lead to more interesting movement. There’s no substitute for working in at least the shapes and the lengths as early as possible.”
Lisa Rozner from CBS News New York visits Théâtre XIV during Pride month to speak with Duana Taste, who stars in Petite Rouge, Company XIV’s Baroque Burlesque show inspired by Little Red Riding Hood. Watch the segment to hear why Duana, a classically trained ballerina from the Midwest, calls Company XIV home.
Duana Taste as Mother in Petite Rouge
Company XIV celebrates 20 years of making Baroque Burlesque in NYC by going on live TV! Watch Lindsay Rose sing the original song “Mother’s Warning”, accompanied by Duana Taste (Mother) and Cara Seymour (Little Red) from Petite Rouge live on PIX11’s New York Living.
By Carissa Chesanek
“A baroque burlesque performer hands you an ornate crystal glass behind the bar and a scent rises, a pearl bursts, and suddenly, you’re not just watching Company XIV.
You’re inside it.”
Savor a Baroque Pearl at Petite Rouge
By Adam Feldman
“The titular heroine of Petite Rouge dances with wolves aplenty in Company XIV’s latest neoburlesque spectacle, but don’t worry for her safety: She’s as voracious a predator as any of them. Director-choreographer Austin McCormick and his Brooklyn company have a penchant for twisting classic children’s stories into naughty ones for adults…”
By Carissa Chesanek
“Petite Rouge incorporates lust and desire, with a bit of danger that is often cheeky, especially in the grandma wolves scene, but is always alluring and stunning.
This company always delights its audience with gorgeous costumes and sparkling sequins, aerial acrobatics, and impressive choreography, and this latest addition is no different, highlighting the best at what Company XIV can do.”
By Austin Fimmano
“Eat your heart out, Brooklyn. Bushwick-based theatre troupe Company XIV, known for baroque-burlesque shows like the perennial holiday favorite Nutcracker Rouge, is back with their latest offering: Petite Rouge, inspired by the story of Little Red Riding Hood.
Created, directed, and choreographed by company founder Austin McCormick, Petite Rouge dives into the wolfish delights and sensuous danger of stepping out into the dark forest and making your own way in the world.”
By Pete Hempstead
“Petite Rouge, McCormick’s latest confection, explores, as you correctly guessed, Charles Perrault’s fairy tale Le Petite Chaperon Rouge (“Little Red Riding Hood”) through a mature lens. Like previous Company XIV productions, this one is not for les enfants. It blends the sultry ambiance of the Moulin Rouge, the sumptuousness of Versailles, and the velvety, red-lit coquetry of a high-class bordello—in Bushwick!“
By Adam Feldman
“Petite Rouge, gives a decidedly adult spin to the adventures of Little Red Riding Hood in a night of dazzlement that is sure to inspire its share of wolf whistles.”
By Gillian Russo
“Still need Valentine’s date plans? Have a sexy night out at Petite Rouge, the renowned Brooklyn troupe known for putting 21+ spins on classic tales. This time, they’re turning Little Red Riding Hood into a feast of dance, acrobatics, music, and burlesque, complete with themed cocktails and treats.”
“There was a kindliness about intoxication- there was that indescribable gloss and glamour it gave, like the memories of ephemeral and faded evenings.”
—F. Scott Fitzgerald
After three “extraordinary” (The Australian) years and over 575 “tantalizing” (Metro Weekly) performances, Cocktail Magique takes its final bow on February 8.
What a marvelous party it’s been! Our longest-running show to date. Our most magical. Over 33,000 delighted guests have raised glasses in our intimate speakeasy, savoring more than 92,000 cocktails amid feats of prestidigitation and wonder. Countless birthdays transformed into unforgettable celebrations. Anniversaries made even more romantic. Bachelorette parties elevated to pure spectacle.
This is your last libation, your final chance to experience the magic before the curtain closes on our cozy cocktail sanctuary. Secure your seat for one final sip of the “beauty and excess” (The New York Times) that has crowned Cocktail Magique “one of the city’s most spectacular, fun, and unique nights out” (New York Theatre Guide).
Watch Pepper Solana sing the original song “Sugar” by Lexxe, accompanied by ChrissyAnn Carpenter (Mother Ginger), Ross and Nicholas Katen (Bananas), Joey Columbus (The Nutcracker Prince) and Meg Iwama (The Sugar Plum Fairy) from Nutcracker Rouge live on New York Living on PIX11, hosted by Marysol Castro and Ben Aaron.
Follow Lexxe and the cast of Nutcracker Rouge behind the scenes as they prepare for the live performance.
By Laura Collins-Hughes
“Company XIV, specialists in decadent spectacle, have had an enduring success with this burlesque riff on the ballet.”
By Dan Stahl
“Not all Nutcrackers are the same…Nutcracker Rouge, naughty burlesque for the adult crowd, is set in a visually splendid, Baroque-inspired world filled with sensual Christmas delights.”
By Kayla Kibbe
“I literally can’t recommend Nutcracker Rouge highly enough.”
“A sexy, burlesquey rendition of the Nutcracker and definitely the hottest holiday date night you’ll have this season!”
By Adam Feldman
“Austin McCormick and his risqué neo-Baroque dance-theater group Company XIV present a lavish erotic reimagining of the classic holiday tale, complete with circus performers, operatic singers and partial nudity.”
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