| Show Review & Information X Burlesque Show Las Vegas |
“X” Burlesque combines imaginative choreography with outrageous props such as bungees,
bathtubs and beds to excite the crowd and leave them anxiously wondering what’s next. From
slow, sensual ballet-inspired routines to funky and energetic acrobatic numbers, the 90-minute
production will have hearts racing. The variety of styles allows each dancer to showcase her
own distinctive talents in a truly unforgettable way.
Music by some of the hottest artists in rock, pop and hip-hop sets the stage for scene after
scene of erotic imagery, while seductive titles for each number emulate the style of traditional
burlesque shows. In “Pharoah Fawcet,” the girls perform a steamy belly dance to the Pussycat
Dolls’ dance hit “Buttons,” while 1960s-reminiscent “Sharon Delove,” set to the The
Raconteurs’ “My Baby’s on the Level,” features a gorgeous girl in nothing but go-go boots and
body paint.
Flamingo Hotel
3555 Las Vegas Blvd. So.
Las Vegas, NV 89109
Duration: 90 minutes approximately
Showtimes: Shows at 10:00 pm nightly.
Price: $44.95 general admission, $55.95 VIP
bathtubs and beds to excite the crowd and leave them anxiously wondering what’s next. From
slow, sensual ballet-inspired routines to funky and energetic acrobatic numbers, the 90-minute
production will have hearts racing. The variety of styles allows each dancer to showcase her
own distinctive talents in a truly unforgettable way.
Music by some of the hottest artists in rock, pop and hip-hop sets the stage for scene after
scene of erotic imagery, while seductive titles for each number emulate the style of traditional
burlesque shows. In “Pharoah Fawcet,” the girls perform a steamy belly dance to the Pussycat
Dolls’ dance hit “Buttons,” while 1960s-reminiscent “Sharon Delove,” set to the The
Raconteurs’ “My Baby’s on the Level,” features a gorgeous girl in nothing but go-go boots and
body paint.
Flamingo Hotel
3555 Las Vegas Blvd. So.
Las Vegas, NV 89109
Duration: 90 minutes approximately
Showtimes: Shows at 10:00 pm nightly.
Price: $44.95 general admission, $55.95 VIP
SHOW REVIEW: X Burlesque
Baring It All: Gimmick-free X Burlesque doing just fine
By Mike Weatherford, Las Vegas Review Journal
You'd think a topless show would be the safest bet on the Las Vegas Strip.
But even with a head start -- four years of operating in different places with various titles -- X Burlesque has found it's not easy being the fifth or sixth
of anything. Not even when you're selling bare bodies, one of the city's most valued commodities.
When the revue moved into the Flamingo Las Vegas early last year, it had to fight for attention. "Crazy Girls" has longevity. "Bite" has a gimmick
(vampire babes!). "Crazy Horse Paris" has European prestige. "Fantasy" has live singing and (gasp!) a dude or two to enhance the couples appeal.
Perhaps understandably, "X Burlesque" seemed as though it was working too hard to be hip and edgy. But producers Angela and Matt Stabile kept
tinkering and reworking their revue as it turned the corner on its first year in February.
The Flamingo got behind the show with a two-year extension and promotional branding in the outlying casino area. "X" is now the one topless revue
you can see seriously late at night: midnight, three times per week. And it's no longer the newest kid on the block, thanks to "Ooh La La" at nearby Paris
Las Vegas (which seized the title "X" once had for best sense of humor).
"X" still doesn't have that easy way of explaining where it fits. But that's a challenge for the marketing folks, not one that burdens audiences once they're
in the room. Angela Stabile may sum it up best when she says the goal is to be "super sexy but also really fun at the same time."
I don't know if "credible" is too serious a word for a topless show, but it's easier to praise "X" for what it's not: seedy, derivative or overly silly.
The changes all have been for the better. A burlesque-looking curtain now covers the stage's roommate set for The Second City comedy troupe, but still
creates a screen for video projections. New choreography is by Enrique Lugo, who did some audacious work for the departed "Fashionistas," and here
keeps the seven women moving with rock 'n' roll athleticism that doesn't sacrifice the provocative for artsy indulgence (the same cannot always be said
of the projected graphics).
And it's awkward to say it, but new comedian Nancy Ryan fits the show better than the late, great Pudgy. The comedian born Beverly Wines, who died
in December, did more of an act than conventional stand-up. She gave "X" a retro-camp flair which justified the "Burlesque" in the title, but was out of
place with the rest.
Ryan is a better blend with the rest of the show's contemporary thrust, while doing the same job of evening the score for the women attending with their
menfolk. She's good at crowd banter, heckling a father-son team with New Jersey sass and telling the son, "Your house is blocking the driveway. You
better move it" when he bolts for a restroom retreat.
The things that haven't changed are most of what made the original "X" stand out when it debuted at the Aladdin in 2002. The women keep their own
hairstyles and individuality, and each is featured in a solo number. The music is fresh, and most pieces don't bother you with the entire song. A girls 'n'
guns tribute to the military without corny music? It boggles the mind.
A couple of numbers now qualify as classics: a bathtub seduction paced by stage blackouts and a piece where you see only three pairs of legs and not
the rest of their owners.
"X Burlesque" doesn't reinvent the wheel, or even the girlie show. But for a show without a gimmick, it's doing just fine.
Baring It All: Gimmick-free X Burlesque doing just fine
By Mike Weatherford, Las Vegas Review Journal
You'd think a topless show would be the safest bet on the Las Vegas Strip.
But even with a head start -- four years of operating in different places with various titles -- X Burlesque has found it's not easy being the fifth or sixth
of anything. Not even when you're selling bare bodies, one of the city's most valued commodities.
When the revue moved into the Flamingo Las Vegas early last year, it had to fight for attention. "Crazy Girls" has longevity. "Bite" has a gimmick
(vampire babes!). "Crazy Horse Paris" has European prestige. "Fantasy" has live singing and (gasp!) a dude or two to enhance the couples appeal.
Perhaps understandably, "X Burlesque" seemed as though it was working too hard to be hip and edgy. But producers Angela and Matt Stabile kept
tinkering and reworking their revue as it turned the corner on its first year in February.
The Flamingo got behind the show with a two-year extension and promotional branding in the outlying casino area. "X" is now the one topless revue
you can see seriously late at night: midnight, three times per week. And it's no longer the newest kid on the block, thanks to "Ooh La La" at nearby Paris
Las Vegas (which seized the title "X" once had for best sense of humor).
"X" still doesn't have that easy way of explaining where it fits. But that's a challenge for the marketing folks, not one that burdens audiences once they're
in the room. Angela Stabile may sum it up best when she says the goal is to be "super sexy but also really fun at the same time."
I don't know if "credible" is too serious a word for a topless show, but it's easier to praise "X" for what it's not: seedy, derivative or overly silly.
The changes all have been for the better. A burlesque-looking curtain now covers the stage's roommate set for The Second City comedy troupe, but still
creates a screen for video projections. New choreography is by Enrique Lugo, who did some audacious work for the departed "Fashionistas," and here
keeps the seven women moving with rock 'n' roll athleticism that doesn't sacrifice the provocative for artsy indulgence (the same cannot always be said
of the projected graphics).
And it's awkward to say it, but new comedian Nancy Ryan fits the show better than the late, great Pudgy. The comedian born Beverly Wines, who died
in December, did more of an act than conventional stand-up. She gave "X" a retro-camp flair which justified the "Burlesque" in the title, but was out of
place with the rest.
Ryan is a better blend with the rest of the show's contemporary thrust, while doing the same job of evening the score for the women attending with their
menfolk. She's good at crowd banter, heckling a father-son team with New Jersey sass and telling the son, "Your house is blocking the driveway. You
better move it" when he bolts for a restroom retreat.
The things that haven't changed are most of what made the original "X" stand out when it debuted at the Aladdin in 2002. The women keep their own
hairstyles and individuality, and each is featured in a solo number. The music is fresh, and most pieces don't bother you with the entire song. A girls 'n'
guns tribute to the military without corny music? It boggles the mind.
A couple of numbers now qualify as classics: a bathtub seduction paced by stage blackouts and a piece where you see only three pairs of legs and not
the rest of their owners.
"X Burlesque" doesn't reinvent the wheel, or even the girlie show. But for a show without a gimmick, it's doing just fine.