LowLife Staff Reviews

"Gimmick-free 'X Burlesque' doing just fine "

(From Mike Weatherford, Las Vegas Review-Journal)

SHOW REVIEW: 'X Burlesque'

"Baring It All: Gimmick-free 'X Burlesque' doing just fine

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.

"X" is now the one topless revue you can see seriously late at night: midnight, three times per week.

"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).
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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."

The entire review

More LowLife Reviews

"Missing Something"

Seems to be missing something for the price. There are a lot of Burlesque shows and when someone uses the word in their title, it should have some. I am super picky when it comes to these styles of shows. The venue & choreography really need improvement for me to rate it well. Otherwise, you can probably get comped to see similar costumes and more t n a at a strip club. Harsh, but this isn't burlesque. Not, from what I've seen. They need to reinvent or the location will be the only thing that allows them to draw a decent crowd. Wish I could write something better, but this was disappointing. Others, found it to be fun. -Justine