The female entertainer ends stark... (5)
I believe the answer is:
sheer
'stark' is the definition.
('sheer' can be a synonym of 'stark')
'the female entertainer ends' is the wordplay.
'the female' becomes 'she' (I've seen this before**).
'ends' suggests removing the centre.
'entertainer' with its middle removed is 'er'.
'she'+'er'='SHEER'
(Other definitions for sheer that I've seen before include "Steep; fine" , "Unmitigated; perpendicular" , "Absolutely - diaphanous" , "Almost perpendicular or very thin" , "avoid an unpleasant thing" .)