Theatre Review (Las Vegas): Chippendales at the Rio Hotel and Casino

Part of: StageMage

The name Chippendales is probably the first name you think when you think of gorgeous male dancers stripping for ladies. What started as a bar act has evolved through time (murder and scandal) to a worldwide phenomenon. Las Vegas is now the home of Chippendales and the Chippendale dancers perform in a 6 million dollar theatre built especially for them. Contrary to what you might think, the Chippendale show is really a legit dance show in which the male dancers act out the fantasies of the female audience in attendance. You find firemen, doctors, cowboys, mechanics, policemen, and just plain guys in colored straps going through elaborate and sometimes difficult dance routines. These guys are out to please and judging by the audience reaction, the women got what they came for. The atmosphere is certainly charged, but it is also safe. Most everything is only suggested and the guys are actually very polite. What happens afterwards in the special lounge/bar adjacent to the theatre is anyone’s guess, though a lot of that is just chat and pictures.

Predictably, the guys have terrific physiques and great smiles. Each of them has been trained to be a dancer and they dance up a storm. Of course some of that dancing involves the traditional bump and grind, but other bits of it are very athletic, allowing for displays of feats of strength and versatility. One guy even sings.

Part of the act is to bring ladies (who get worked up to quite a frenzy) up on stage to participate in the performance. For instance, one woman was asked to perform a lap dance for a guy, another was asked to demonstrate her favorite sexual position. She surprised everyone when she put her head in his lap and threw her legs over his shoulders and the place went wild.

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Article Author: Robert Machray

ROBERT MACHRAY has appeared in over 150 plays and has worked at 14 Tony Award-winning theatres. He has been nominated for and won numerous awards. Robert has a B.A. from Yale and an M.F.A. from USC. He has taught at USC, UCLA, UCSB, and Pasadena City College. …

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