The Sensuous Woman will also be dark Oct. 11 due to prior commitments for star Cho. She will resume performances of The Sensuous Woman Oct. 13.

For the evening of Oct. 12, a "battle of the burlesque" will take place on the Zipper stage, featuring the Velvet Hammer and The Va Va Voom Room, two of the longest-running burlesque shows in the world. The cast of The Sensuous Woman was culled from those burlesque entertainers.

The Velvet Hammer, including Valentina Violette, Princess Farhana and Selene Luna, are "known for their flawless pageants and tributes to the female form in all its glorious variety," according to press notes. The Va Va Voom Room, "the gold standard in sassy, classy laffs and good times," features the World Famous *BOB*, Tigger, Dirty Martini, Harvest Moon and AJ Silver.

The Oct. 12 evening will feature special guests as well as musical accompaniment from Brooks Babyface Hartell & his Orchestra. Miss Astrid, founder of the legendary Va Va Voom Room, will serve as hostess for the night.

Tickets for the 9 PM performance of SHOWDOWN! Bare-knuckle Burlesque! are available by visiting www.thezipperfactory.com or by calling (212) 352-3101. The Zipper Factory is located at 336 West 37th Street, New York.

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The Sensuous Woman officially opened on Oct. 6 and will continue through Nov. 4 at the Zipper Factory. The burlesque variety show stars entertainer and comedienne Margaret Cho as well as Los Angeles belly dance and burlesque sensation Princess Farhana, emerging transgendered comic Ian Harvie, burlesque performer Selene Luna, comic actor Liam Sullivan, New York downtown favorite Miss Dirty Martini and sketch comedians Diana Yanez and Kurt Hall of the Gay Mafia Comedy Troupe of West Hollywood.