After learning in February that the Flamingo was starting its own T&A show, I was looking forward to some reviews of the show.

So when in Mid-May I realized that I had yet to find a single first-hand review of the show, I decided to bite the bullet and just go and see the thing myself. VegasRex, a true philanthropist who goes far above and beyond, is always willing to inspect tits for the benefit of his readers.

You’re welcome.

The Flamingo is obviously trying to get a little more racy lately to compete with the newer-school properties. The new topless “Go Pool” on the roof, the ass-cheek baring servers at the regular pool, and a brand new topless show.

So last night I got a “VIP Ticket” to the new “X Burlesque” show. That means I got seats at the very front of the stage.

The show goes off at 8pm or 10pm nightly in the smallish Second City Theater.

Last night, the room was only about 1/3rd full, so we all got seated close to the stage. In the middle of the room is a stripper-pole. Which makes sense. Because basically the show is four strippers, doing a tame strip club routine.

I was actually very surprised that their were only 4 performers. After seeing Fantasy, La Femme, Crazy Girls, etc … I was expecting around 10 girls for a show like this.

The plot of the show was straight-forward enough. Girls start out in a specific costume, dance and gyrate while music plays, alternate between the stage and the pole, and eventually end up topless.

This was cool and all, except that I kept thinking that I could have gone to a strip club with a handful of singles and gotten the same thing, only with more scantily clad girls, and the girls would have put my face in their tits for a 10 spot.

With only 4 women alternatively stripping to thongs or boy shorts, I would call this show “strip club lite”. When you really don’t feel like going to a strip club, but just want to see some quick tits … then dropping $50 per person here will give it to you.

You don’t get the strip club hustle, and don’t have to worry about having a wad of singles.

There were no real sets to speak of. They put a bathtub on stage for one routine, and would use a projector for some other routines, but the show is pretty bare-bones … “4 scantily clad women doing stripper routines while wearing more clothes than real strippers”.

I’m not sure what more to say about the show itself. Because that’s what it was. Four topless chicks dancing to a DJ spinning music.

Was I expecting more? Yes. Did I hate it? No.

I just got a little bored after 20 minutes. Chicks dance, change costumes, dance, change costumes. Nothing was really over-the-top. There were some anemic attempts at girl-on-girl action, but again, nothing like a real strip club. One good thing is that the girls came out into the audience and would run around the tables and you got to see the tits and ass close up … like a strip club. But just when it looked like they were going to push things a bit, the routine ended.

There just wasn’t anything compelling in the stripper routines, and it’s easily the least elaborate of Las Vegas T&A shows.

Okay, so would I recommend this show? YES!

And it has nothing to do with the half-naked ho’s running around.

Then … why???

Because for the first time in the history of T&A shows, the comedian completely stole the show.

Halfway through the 70 minute show, a chubby, middle-aged woman came out of nowhere. Her name is “Pudgy”. And she is fucking great. As a matter of fact, she received a standing ovation (first time I have seen that for a tit show comic), and several requests to “please stay!”.

When her routine was over, I was actually really disappointed that the strippers were taking the stage again.

Pudgy is what I would call an “insult comic with a heart”. Almost all of her act is improv as she interacts with the audience for 20 minutes, leads them in songs, and makes fun of them. But as much as she makes fun of others, she makes fun of herself, repeatedly threatening to take the stripper pole as punishment if we do not participate enough.

She had everyone in the audience laughing their asses off, and far from being mean spirited, when she turned on you, it was more like your mother was good-naturedly making fun of you. You didn’t try to avoid being her target, you actually anxiously waited for her to get around to insulting you. It was never nasty, but just really funny.

She brought people on stage, mingled with the audience, and was incredibly quick-witted as her whole act was based on unknown aspects of unknown people. It was great how she turned the mundane fact that an audience member was a railroad worker into a crowd rendition of “I’ve been working on the railroad, all the live long day”.

When I first realized the comic was coming out, I groaned like everyone else, but by the end, she won everyone over and had them begging for more.

If Pudgy ever gets her own show on The Strip, which would be a travesty if she didn’t, then I would pay the full ticket priced to see it. And I would get VIP tickets to maximize my chances of being her target.

The worst thing about this show was that Pudgy’s routine was too short.

So what did I take away from X Burlesque?

It’s a show by a really, really funny comedian, with time being padded at the beginning and end by some strippers.

So I got my money’s worth. Because of Pudgy. Sure, I enjoyed the strippers, but I won’t remember them.

I paid through the nose and forgot Rita Rudner.

But, I’ll never forget Pudgy’s routine.
Arguably the best comic I have seen in this town. (Aside from Carrot Top, but they are different types of comedians)

She should have her own Vegas show without a doubt. She is far too good to be the comic relief for a stripper show.

She’s going to get a better gig than this. I guarantee it. You heard it here first.

Go see the show for tits and more importantly … Pudgy.

I doubt you will get a pudgy from the show … but you will get Pudgy from the show.

Update: I just did a search for this comedian. Although I had never heard of her before, apparently she has been around for awhile. Her agency has a webpage for Pudgy. She really needs to get back into a headlining role.