Las Vegas Review: PEEPSHOW

By: May. 12, 2010
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Have you heard of Holly Madison? And do you want to see her naked?

If yes, then Peepshow - the Las Vegas burlesque show created by Tony winning director/ choreographer Jerry Mitchell - is for you. In it, Holly struts and poses in various states of undress, while a cast of Vegas regulars performs choreographed Broadway-style numbers based loosely on an array of children's fairy tales.

Let's put aside the incongruity of stripping and kids' stories for a moment, and talk about Holly. She is clearly the main attraction at Peepshow, where her name and image are displayed larger-than-life. She's loudly touted as the show's "star". But unfortunately, she doesn't DO much - and because she's famous for being a Playboy model, even the promise of seeing her topless doesn't create real motivation to get audiences in the door.

Luckily, Madison's supporting cast manages to put on a decent show, if you like a lot of skin with your song-and-dance. Emcee Cheaza, as the "Peep Diva," is the real star; she has a voice, she's got great legs, and she keeps the action going despite a rather weak storyline. There are also two quite talented leading men in Peepshow - Timber as Bo Peep's love interest and Warren Vanover as the Big Bad Wolf - making this a destination for couples instead of just frat parties. If "celebrity" (too big a word for Madison, in my opinion) wasn't so important, it's these three who would have their names on the marquee.

Now for the story: Innocent Bo Peep (Madison) is looking for love in all the wrong places, and, with the help of the Peep Diva, navigates her way through several well-known fairy tales trying to find a good man. Each "tale" is presented as sexy choreographed number, some of which further the plot and others which simply showcase the skills, and the bodies, of the cast. It's actually the latter that I like best: burlesque for burlesque's sake. I, for one, I don't need the punny costumery (dresses made of bricks, twigs and straw that are "blown off" by the Wolf) or the promise of a syrupy happy ending.

Admittedly, burlesque as a genre isn't known for intense, multi-layered storylines. Like much adult entertainment, patrons pay for the "action" and not the script. Still, I could have done without the tie-in of fairy tales; something about the intersection of sex and children's stories is unsettling. I understand the concept of wanting a through-line for the audience to follow (if nothing else it makes the finale that much more climactic), but the same story - Innocent Girl Seeks Love - could have been told without the incorporation of kids' stuff. (I'll never hear "Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater" the same way again!)

A few highly original and entertaining numbers stand out, specifically a sexy blind-folded acrobatics act on top of a flying saddle to Ginuwine's "Pony," and a strange but captivating nearly-naked romp in a tank of milk, performed by several svelt dancers to Kelis' apropos "Milkshake".

If you want a little sexy with your stage show, it's spectacles like these that should motivate you to see Peepshow; after all, Holly Madison's boobs are available for viewing for free to anyone with access to Google Images.

Overall, I found Peepshow to be fun but flawed. The dancers are hot and the bodies are bangin,' but the show would be better if the focus was more on the moves and less on the story, and if less attention was given to the posturing done by its "star". Holly Madison's image may sell tickets, but her "talent" leaves much to be desired. Luckily, Madison's co-stars bridge the gap between art and sleaze, and manage to turn out a decently entertaining show.

 



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