If you’ve even glanced at queer nightlife this season, you’ve likely heard one word whispered with equal parts awe, thirst, and festive horniness: Brolesque. And at the center of all this glitter-covered, gogo-powered chaos is the show’s creator, choreographer, and resident heartthrob, Locky Brownlie—a man who somehow uses his experience of touring the world with Violet Chachki and Gottmik on The Knockout Tour in his production of New York City’s cheekiest all-male burlesque and cabaret phenomenon.
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Brolesque: XXX-MAS is Balcon Salon’s seasonal sleigh ride of sin, a mischievous, sweat-glistening holiday spectacular where striptease meets comedy, camp meets choreography, and Santa meets… well, a very flexible lumberjack. It’s the kind of show that reminds you the holidays don’t have to be about peppermint mochas and emotional repression—sometimes, queer people deserve a little joy, a little glitter, and a front-row view of a Gingerbread Man who can do the splits.
The Man Behind the Mischief
Before turning Hell’s Kitchen into his own sexy Santa’s workshop, Locky Brownlie spent nearly two decades touring the world with pop royalty. His résumé reads like a gay fanfiction lineup: Katy Perry? Check. Jennifer Lopez? Check. Taylor Swift? Check. Broadway’s Wicked? Check. The man has danced for everyone except maybe your ex—and honestly, give it time.
Photo Credit: BTScenesBody
But Brolesque isn’t just another gig for him. It’s personal.
“Spaces like Balcon Salon give us the freedom to tell our stories on our own terms — through humor, movement, and a little glitter,” Brownlie says. And in XXX-MAS, you feel that ethos in every hip thrust, every joke, every moment the cast locks eyes with someone in the audience and silently asks, You good? You sweating? Great.
This isn’t just burlesque. It’s community. It’s permission to feel joy. It’s the holidays, but make it horny and healing.
Photo Credit: 9-16 KO Tour Durham @Lilacfilm
A Holiday Show That Actually Makes You Feel Something (Besides Arousal)
Balcon Salon’s seasonal takeover is more than a stage—it’s an adult playground. Every Thursday night at 10 p.m., the doors swing open to an atmosphere thick with anticipation and the promise of stripped-down holiday cheer.
The cast—Felipe Ocampo, Christopher Patterson Rosso, Gabriel Reyes, Jason Caroll, with Phillip Evans hosting—brings classic characters to life with a queer twist. There’s a Gingerbread Man who should honestly come with a warning label. A Nutcracker who redefines cracking. A lumberjack who looks like he chops wood by day and hearts by night.
Photo Credit: Guram MuradovNumbers range from sultry to downright delirious:
- A coy, hip-rolling “Santa Baby”
- A dramatic, thigh-slapping “I Need a Hero”
- The crowd-favorite “Mariah Mega Mix,” which is basically gay church
And then there’s The Oven Mitt Challenge, where audience members attempt to unwrap a present while wearing thick holiday mitts. It’s messy. It’s ridiculous. It’s pure joy watching grown adults fight for a prize while half-naked men cheer them on.
A Venue That Feels Like Home
Since opening in 2023, Balcon Salon has quickly become a queer arts stronghold—one of the rare Hell’s Kitchen spaces dedicated almost entirely to queer-led performance. And Brolesque is the crown jewel of its holiday lineup.
Owner Eric Einstein puts it simply:
“Our goal has always been to make queer art and nightlife accessible. That’s why all our shows are free… It’s about building community through shared experience.”
Photo Credit: Guram Muradov
And that philosophy shines across the venue’s programming: from Andrew Barret Cox’s live-singing trio Apocalypse Noir, to Nick Gaga’s Gaga Ball, to the unhinged (and sometimes beautifully chaotic) weekly talent show hosted by Svetlana Stoli. It’s drag, burlesque, community theater, and late-night clubbing rolled into one two-story queer wonderland.
Why Brolesque Matters
During the holidays—a season that can be isolating for queer people—Brolesque: XXX-MAS becomes more than a show. It’s a refuge. A celebration. A reminder that queer joy is, in Brownlie’s words, “resistance.”
At the end of the night, you leave with a smile, a buzz from your two-drink minimum, and maybe a little crush on the Nutcracker. You leave reminded that queer people deserve fun. We deserve spectacle. We deserve a place to shout, cheer, laugh, flirt, tip, and bask in the glow of beautiful men dancing to Mariah Carey.
Photo Credit: Guram MuradovAnd under Locky Brownlie’s direction, Brolesque delivers exactly that: a holiday experience that’s sexy, silly, sincere, and absolutely unforgettable.
So this season, skip the gingerbread house and go see the Gingerbread Man take his clothes off. It’s what the holidays are really about.
ABOUT BALCON SALON
Balcon Salon kicks off the holiday season with BROLESQUE: XXX-MAS, a high-energy holiday burlesque show running every Thursday at 10 p.m.
Balcon Salon is a two-story theatrical nightclub at 674 9th Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen that programs primarily queer-led performance, late-night dance parties and weekly variety shows. The space presents burlesque, live singing, drag and cabaret alongside community showcases and weekend nightclub hours — all 21+ and free to attend