Coming to Broadway: he’s a baritone black belt with a love for Les Misérables and a degree in kicking ass–it’s Kindergarten Cop, the Musical! I chatted with the self-described chocolate charmer Samson Night about swapping Arabic 101 for Intro to Show Choir, teaching children by day and commanding the stage at night, eschewing striptease archetypes and channeling the Shaft, saying no-no to go-go and yes to demystifying charisma, getting crowned Queen of Exotic World and contending with criticism, and how preserving the future legacy of burlesque is dependent in part on the nuanced conversations our community-industry is having today. 

Shout Outs to Ben Vereen, Bawdy Suit, Margo Mayhem, Ruth or Dare, Ray Gunn, Jezebel Express, the Slipper Room, Veronica Viper, Jimmy Guilford, Jo Weldon, and the late great Dixie Evans.

Follow Samson Night: @TheSamsonNight @midnightmayhemburlesque and @bawdy_suit on Instagram and SamsonNight Boylesque on Facebook

Follow Chris Harder: @TheChrisHarder on Instagam, Twitter, TikTok, and www.HarderChris.com

Follow Show Boys: @ShowBoysPod on Instagram

Questions for Chris? Email him at [email protected] or [email protected]

More about Samson Night:

Samson Night is a cross genre artist with over 25 years of professional experience in the businesses of TV/ Film, Broadway, Voice Over, Commercials and Print. Currently starring on Broadway and at Carnegie Hall, he is also a theater educator and utilizes techniques learned and used from those experiences to teach a variety of burleque and performance workshops. 

Voted #6 on the 2022 Burlesque Top 50, Samson has been featured as the closer for the opening night of the New York Burlesque Festival and has won multiple titles including "Queen Of The Roses" at the Oregon Burlesque Festival as well as "Best Group" with his partner Margo Mayhem and most recently, Queen of Exotic World at the 2023 Burlesque Hall of Fame.