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2023 Best-of, Worst-of, and WTF - ADULT SHOWS

SamNovak

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2023 Best-of, Worst-of, and WTF - ADULT SHOWS

Risque entertainment is our focus in the second part of VEGAS 411's year-end round-up.

It's a battleground out there! The "City of Entertainment" has been fighting against itself for the past several years, and lately it's gotten even uglier. Live productions first faced the threat of celebrity deejays. Then came the "Great Entertainment Massacre", wherein Caesars Entertainment shut down over twenty productions and performance spaces. Now, sports teams are grabbing their share of the pie. What's a song-and-dance fan to do? In 2023, the phrase "Sex Sells" has become the answer. Raunchy revues, randy variety acts, raucous comedy gigs, and rarely-seen showgirl costumes have returned. Sadly, filthy trash like MAGIC MIKE LIVE (above, right) outnumbers quality by a significant degree. Thank goodness that sensuality stars Jennifer Romas and Dita Von Teese came to the rescue with a trio of wonderful surprises. Of course, Sin City entertainment isn't ALL about sex, but it's a great place to start. Let's get into the second chapter of Best-Of, Worst-Of, and WTF by looking at adult shows. Click here if you missed Round One. BEST NEW ADULT SHOW - Exxcite (on hiatus)

RUNNER- UP - Red Velvet Burlesque at Notoriety Live

Jennifer Romas gave us a one-two punch in 2023. The choreographer/dancer/director/producer was brought in to inject a Las Vegas edge to RED VELVET BURLESQUE, an existing production that plays in dozens of cities. Utilizing local talent, including clownish muscleman Mathieu Bolillo, RED VELVET BURLESQUE is part of a triple-play that fills Notoriety Live on weekends. Of the three, RED VELVET is a home-run winner. Read the full review here. [video width="1920" height="1080" mp4="https://vegas411-images.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/10044248/20231014_202245.mp4"][/video] Red Velvet Burlesque EXXCITE is one hundred percent Jennifer Romas, and our winner of BEST NEW ADULT SHOW. A creation whose title evokes the long-running SEXXY at Westgate Las Vegas, EXXCITE features a youthful cast, dazzling costumes, diamond-sharp choreography, imaginative use of space, and the powerful vocals of new Vegas arrival Gabie Lopez. VEGAS 411 published this review in August.

Sadly, the new owners of Rio Las Vegas may have been involved in the abrupt closure of DUOMO, a venue where EXXCITE and other productions performed. Pompey Entertainment's Damian Costa assured me that EXXCITE will indeed return. "We just have to find the right place for it," he stated. Since then, lead singer Gabie Lopez has joined the cast of Cirque du Soleil's MAD APPLE, leaving her future with EXXCITE in question. But Romas has a golden touch when it comes to casting, so don't count out EXXCITE just yet.

Over at newly-rebranded HORSESHOE LAS VEGAS, the famed Jubilee Showroom came back to life for DITA LAS VEGAS. An eye-popping spectacle that combines vintage class with contemporary sass, the vaudeville-style show is a godsend for fans of Dita Von Teese, the reigning "Queen of Burlesque". While not flawless, DITA LAS VEGAS is a worthy successor to JUBILEE!, offering production numbers that you'll remember long after the curtain falls. Full review here.

Another pleasant surprise is the return of LADY LIKE. A retro-modern revue, this one is hosted by Maren Wade (Confessions of a Showgirl). Cleverly set in a charm school, LADY LIKE had just launched at MOSAIC THEATER last year when the wrecking ball struck. More than a year later, it's found a new home at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. I haven't ventured over to see the reborn production, but there's no reason to doubt that it's still terrific. See the original VEGAS 411 write-up here.

BurlesQ cast

While LADY LIKE rose from the ashes, BurlesQ at Alexis Park Resort has yet to give off smoke signals. After a 500th-performance gala, the topless showgirl tribute promised to return with bigger, better everything. Headmistress Cari Byers had nothing to offer when pressed recently for an update. BurlesQ joins FAAABULOUS! The Show leaving the Modern Showrooms schedule in 2023; Aussie Heat rumored to be returning in 2024 but not announced as of the writing of this article. I covered their complicated move from Notoriety right here. Come back, guys and gals. We miss you!

WORST FEMALE REVUE - No "winner" This may be a surprising announcement, but out of all the female-centric revues I attended in 2023, not one could be classified as "bad". If you had a different experience, feel free to send me a message at samnovak@vegas411.com and I'll share your response on our Facebook page. BEST MALE REVUE - Thunder From Down Under at Excalibur

The hiatus (or departure?) of AUSSIE HEAT has tightened an already small circle of male revues. Of the remaining four, THUNDER FROM DOWN UNDER takes the 2023 top spot for two distinct reasons. First, the show has improved vastly, with new production numbers, a remodeled theater, and dynamic dancer/deejay/host Kurt Joseph expertly taking the mic. Secondly, former winner CHIPPENDALES hasn't been the same since a COVID-imposed shutdown. Dated dance numbers from years past still linger, interspersed with a pseudo aerial sequence, vulgar attempts at humor ("Who likes to eat ass? I LOVE to eat ass!"), an audience twerking contest, and a constantly-changing cast. By trying to emulate MAGIC MIKE LIVE, Chippendales seems more concerned with checking demographic-appeal boxes than fostering the next generation of calendar-worthy icons. Recurring guest host Vinny G. of JERSEY SHORE just adds another level of cheese to what was once the gold standard of male revues.

Although expert performers like Le Reve's Alex Stabler, Miguel Rivera, and dancer Adam Barabas were brought on board, they've seemingly departed for other ventures, or aren't utilized nearly enough. Almost every popular towering hunk depicted on the theater's famed exterior has retired. New additions don't possess the stage presence and gravitas of longtime favorites like Nathan Minor, Staccey Robinson, James Davis, or more recently, Pat Tanski and Ryan Worley. Even worse, the rundown location at Rio Las Vegas is dark and sketchy, making it a potentially poor choice for a ladies night out. [video width="1920" height="1080" mp4="https://vegas411-images.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/10044305/20230705_213535.mp4"][/video] Performed on the mezzanine level at Excalibur Hotel & Casino, THUNDER delivers the kind of naughty wholesomeness that CHIPPENDALES once possessed. Its authentic Australians are the type of guys you'd want to bring home for Thanksgiving dinner. Then hope they stick around for breakfast. WORST MALE REVUE - Magic Mike Live at Sahara

If a male revue named DAD BODS WITH LEPROSY ever came to town, it couldn't be any more repulsive than MAGIC MIKE LIVE. Take a look at the above collage and try to find any guys. You won't. I can't express strongly enough how much I hate this pseudo-feminist man-hating pile of garbage. Falsely categorized as a male revue, it features a squawking "comedian" harpy and her demands for foot rubs. The dancers are just props, life-size nutcrackers for this pain in the ass to squeeze between time and again. There's so much disconnect between the stage production and the first two movies that a third film was written to justify the show's existence. MAGIC MIKE'S LAST DANCE integrated an aging female empowerment character, portrayed by Selma Hayek, into the storyline. The irony was that this new movie entirely jettisoned the previous films' dancers, too. [embed]https://vimeo.com/742660522[/embed]

MAGIC MIKE'S LAS DANCE was a huge box-office flop, taking in a fraction of the first two. SLATE.COM described it as "a movie that feels at times more like a teaser for a Magic Mike Live show than like a proper standalone story." Note to the mindless minds at MAGIC MIKE LIVE: People attend male revues to see nearly-naked dancing guys, not a leather-clad "Karen" simulating masturbation with her fingers and a microphone. Six years later, MAGIC MIKE LIVE is still a steaming pile of shit. Runner-up - HUNK-O-MANIA

Another male revue that sidelines its dancers in place of audience members and stupid onstage antics, HUNK-O-MANIA at Notoriety Live is best forgotten. If you're still curious, here's my original review. In the final chapter, I'll broaden the scope to cover headliners, comedy acts, spectacles, and local productions.