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Naturally, she said yes, and the five years of shows that followed were delivered to nothing but sold out audiences. “The Holiday Burlesque Show gave me what I had always been searching for—true artistic freedom.” Kelsi beamed, “Beyond the choreography and performing, I was able to help with the song choices, costumes, and even had the freedom to create some of my own bits in the show. It was a dream come true!” The show grew and grew until it sold out every show at its largest venue, the El Rey Theater, in 2019. The pandemic, however, brought things full circle, putting a screeching halt to performing arts in general, shuttering venues completely, and making a sixth consecutive year of the show an impossibility. “It was really difficult to not be able to help create something that I had become so attached to.” Kelsi said, “It took the wind out of my sails for a bit, but it also made me realize the true importance of the arts—performing and otherwise—to a community.”

Down but not out, Kelsi took the time to explore what she really wanted out of performing in Chico. “I wanted to produce my own show more than anything, and I kept having this idea of creating one with all female vocalists who did musical theater numbers but with a script attached. Conceptually, it was similar to Holiday Burlesque Show, but rather than individual bits, it would be a larger plot-driven story with a full script.” Kelsi recalled, “I started reaching out to other friends of mine who were singers and performers, and we put a group together. We came up with everything together and hosted our first performance of ‘The Trinity Burlesque’ show on the outdoor stage at Union Restaurant in Oroville. At the time, it was one of the only places allowing any kind of gathering at all, and it gave us the opportunity to test a lot of things with a very receptive crowd.” The show was wildly successful—so successful in fact, Kelsi decided to get a business license and turn it into something long-term. She named the business Hypnotique Productions, and the group has delivered on their moniker ever since.

In 2022, Hypnotique Productions put on their first show as a full cast—a Valentine’s spectacular titled Eden: Love at First Bite. The production found its home at Mulberry Station Brewing Company for six nights over the span of two weeks. With a live band in tow, the show featured a bit of everything— music, comedy, camp, drag, and striptease. It also didn’t hurt that some of Chico’s best pizza and beer happened to be on tap.

“With Eden, I realized how well-received this kind of art form actually was by the community.” Kelsi stressed, “Chico was starving for something like that, and the sold out shows night-after-night proved we were headed in the right direction. As soon as we wrapped on Eden, I began working furiously on the one to follow.”

That show—Nightmare on Mulberry Street— was written for the Halloween crowd, and also happened to be where we had our first encounter with the team at Hypnotique Productions. Just like everyone else in the dining hall that night, we couldn’t help but fall under their spell. To say the show would fit in comfortably on the Vegas Strip is nowhere near an exaggeration or overstatement. The performance was reminiscent of Vegas’ Spiegelworld troupe, the multi-award-winning group responsible for three of the Strip’s most sought-after shows: Absinthe, Opium, and Atomic Saloon. Between the camp, adult comedy, musical numbers, choreography, live band, lighting, sound effects, and burlesque, you feel as if you’ve been transported to a highbudget production under one of the spiegel tents. The $35 ticket price is quite honestly the only thing to convince you otherwise, and at one-fifth of the average ticket price for any one of the aforementioned Vegas shows, you’ll be more than glad to take the journey here at home.

Smart, witty, and unabashedly sexy, Hypnotique’s Nightmare on Mulberry Street couldn’t have been a more welcome Halloween escape. With all eight shows delivered to sold-out audiences, it was the proof Kelsi needed to press forward to her next show, and we couldn’t be more excited she did.

The end of April will see the launch of

Hypnotique Productions’ third show. Aptly named Nebula: An Evening With The Stars, the storyline follows a journey through all 12 signs of the Zodiac as performed by many returning members of the Halloween show’s incredible cast. Described by Kelsi as a campy comedy, it too will provide the myriad forms of entertainment as its predecessors, but she’s quick to note that this performance will be the first without frenzy. “Nebula is the first Hypnotique production that really allowed all of us to dive in and find our footing. We finally had time to think everything through and work to make sure the show was exactly what we wanted. It isn’t as frantic anymore, and I have an established group of people beside me that really know how to help make the show shine.” Kelsi elaborated, “We brought on an incredible photographer, Madeson Bae, and her work really gives everyone an idea of what they can expect from a Hypnotique Productions show. She’s the best there is. Sandii Lynne, who played Lucifer Morningstar, is a PR wizard, and has coached me on how to run PR myself as a small business owner. Their help has been invaluable in the launch of this new performance. The talent in this town is absolutely amazing, and it makes a world of difference. Finally, I want to thank Roland Allen and Allen Gross, the owners of Mulberry Station, for inviting us in, and Steven Locke, their GM, for coordinating everything with us and seeing our vision from the start.”

As one final note of thanks, Kelsi wanted to mention another local company that has been near and dear to her heart— Italian Cottage. This year marks her 20th anniversary as being hired as a server at one of Chico’s most nostalgia-inducing restaurants, and she’s quick to mention they’ve always been a place of support where she knew she could land. “The owners and team have always been my second family.” Kelsi gushed, “It’s my home away from home.”

Nebula will take place at Mulberry Station Brewing Company, April 20th-22nd and again on April 26th-May 2nd. The 26th will be a special cash-only showing where tickets are sold at the door for $20 each. Tickets to the remaining dates just went on sale, and if history is any indication, they’ll sell out long before the show itself. They can be purchased online for $35 at hypnotique-productions.ticketleap.com Get yours before they’re all gone.

Additional credits

Kiersten Gama, stage name Ghost Girl, has been inspirational to Hypnotique with her years as a trained, professional ballerina. The way Kelsi and Gama work together makes for the most special, prevalent, and fun choreography you will see. She has made a name for herself as a performer in this area because of her intoxicating stage presence and capturing performances. Gama is also a huge part of the vision behind all that is Hypnotique Productions. Alexander Garcia, stage name Ruby Alexander, is their resident drag queen and MC extraordinaire. Ruby skyrocketed to being a local favorite with his infectious wit and larger-than-life personality. A Hypnotique show would not be the same without him. Jojo Judge has been standing by Kelsi and supporting her through the whole Hypnotique journey from its start. He is, after all, married to its owner. He has been instrumental in helping with storytelling ideas, building the scripts everyone loves so much, and adding his falsetto and charm to the stage. Hailey Dart, stage name Kiki, was brought onto the team for her dedication and knowledge of social media. She is also their top networker in getting people to their shows. Kiki has been an asset to the PR team and a dream to watch and listen to on stage. Of course, they couldn’t do what they do without the talent and commitment of the rest of their incredible cast and their band: on drums, Jaik Hakkarinen; Ethan Walter, drums; Halfpenny Swett, bass; Aron Linker, sax; Jillian Olivar, keys; Glenn Tucker, magic and back up vocals; plus Samaria Grace and crew who are each a unique ingredient in what the show brings to the table.