MIAMI NEW TIMES – One of South Florida’s signature attractions — the “Aquaticats” underwater burlesque show at the Wreck Bar on Fort Lauderdale Beach — was abruptly terminated last weekend, leaving 17 performing mermaids and mermen high and dry.
The troupe was notified on May 4 that the B Ocean Resort, which owns the Wreck Bar and finances the show, had abruptly severed ties with the Aquaticats after 18 years of performances, show manager Janelle Smiley confirms.
“It’s like a punch in the stomach,” Smiley, who has been performing as a mermaid at the Wreck Bar for the past seven years, tells New Times. “It’s awful. There are a lot of us who count on this as our livelihood.”
To make matters worse, the hotel hasn’t paid them for more than two months’ worth of past shows, the performers say.
Smiley estimates that she remains uncompensated for more than 30 shows …
