Claire Sinclair’s favorite number in PIN UP, the Stratosphere’s high-energy burlesque show in which she began starring in April of last year, is also the newest. “Bumps and Grinds,” which precedes the “Calendar Girl” finale, features Sinclair executing a tassel twirl as her face lights up with her biggest smile of the evening. “I adore that number for a multitude of reasons, but mostly I’m not very good at tassel twirling and I’m very aware of that,” she says. “I’m like, ‘I hope that this is entertaining enough because I’m going to try and twirl them.’ I just end up laughing.”
Playboy’s 2011 Playmate of the Year laughs describing the number, and the purple pasties that had Swarovski crystals on them before it became clear jewels were an impediment to twirling. “Bumps and Grinds,” with choreography inspired by contemporary burlesque star Ginger Valentine, is also her favorite because it’s when she most feels like she’s interacting with the audience. “Plus, it’s novelty, because it’s brand new. We just put that number in a couple of weeks ago. I love that it’s new. It’s fresh and it’s still scary to go out there for that number. I love being scared. It’s really fun and it puts a fire under your ass to make it good.”
PIN UP has undergone minor changes, most conspicuously with Sinclair adding pasties to her wardrobe a year ago, but the show was strong enough from the beginning that basic elements remain unchanged. The dancers—featuring powerhouse steps by male lead Ryan Kelsey and dance captain Megan Kovitch—and six-piece band, led by trumpeter David Perrico, perform with supreme confidence. “They work so hard,” says Sinclair. “The cast, the band, soooo hard every night. That show would be absolutely nothing without the band and without the dedication of the dancers working their ass off.”
The illusion sequence that introduces Sinclair has now been moved to the beginning of the show instead of four songs in. She’s now more of a muse and entertainer than the sassy audience-addressing emcee she was when the production first debuted, but the month-by-month “calendar girl” theme remains. She even got to watch from the sidelines as model Sabina Kelley took her place in two acts for several shows prior to Kelley becoming guest headliner for a week while Sinclair appeared at Comic-Con in July.
That’s right, Sinclair is now the star of a comic book series, Wondrous. Her character discovers she has super powers after volunteering for a medical experiment to pay the rent. “Basically, everything that you see in the comic book, everything I talk about, is a reflection of what was going on in my life prior to my becoming a Playmate,” she says. “I actually worked on Hollywood Boulevard as a character, as Belle, so I put that in and made it part of the story. … It’s entertaining. I’m hoping it gets out there more.”
Stratosphere, 10:30 p.m. Thurs.-Mon., $49.99-$59.99 VIP plus tax and fee, 21+. 702.380.7777
