NOTORIETY’s weekend triple-play pitches one home run, a fly ball, and a strikeout. Which is which?
In March of this year, I published a piece entitled “SPRING SHOW SHUFFLE – Kings and Queens on the Move“. In it, I detailed an apparent face-off between rival entertainment venues Modern Showrooms at Alexis Park and Notoriety Live on Fremont Street.
In the crosshairs were three pairs of productions…drag shows, male revues, and burlesque spectaculars. Seven months later, Alexis Park Resort’s BurlesQ is paused for a revamp, the very hands-on Aussie Heat quietly changed management (with rumors of a rebranding, natch), and drag-tastic FAAABULOUS! The Show has left for parts unknown.
Shifting directions a bit, the off-Strip resort launched PLAYHOUSE SERIES, which we told you about here. They’ve expanded the performance schedule for newbie DISCO DIVAS, and classy tribute FRANKLY FRANK SINATRA received an injection of youthful vigor courtesy of Dakota Horvath and Ryan Baker (below).
To bring things fully into the fall season, Modern Showrooms also added SIST@S!, a naughty spoof of the perennial favorite HOCUS POCUS. It will perform weekends through Halloween….tickets are available here.
While parodies of popular films can be a hit (50 Shades! – The Musical Parody, Potted Potter) or miss affair (Sex ‘n the City – A Super Unauthorized Musical), the source material for SIST@S! is silly enough to justify a roasting.
Down at NOTORIETY, their trio of drag/burlesque/studs continues playing a steady schedule, but are the shows themselves any good? VEGAS 411 settled in for an all-evening triple header of DIVA ROYALE, RED VELVET BURLESQUE, and Hunk-O-Mania.
While each was able to draw a hearty crowd on a Saturday evening, the triple-play yielded one home run, a fly ball, and an indisputable strikeout. Let’s break them down in the order of appearance.
First Inning – DIVA ROYALE
DIVA ROYALE is an interesting production, a curious neutral zone between the contemporary tackiness of RuPaul’s Drag Race Live and classic female impersonation. While the drag queens do lip-sync in this production, the style leans towards FAAABULOUS! (which features live vocals).
DIVA ROYALE delivers fun impersonations of superstars like Adele, Beyonce, and Christina Aguilera. Each cast member shines brightly and clearly enjoys their moment in the spotlight. After a series of individual numbers, the entire ensemble comes together for “Lady Marmalade”.
There’s plenty of audience participation in DIVA ROYALE. As luck would have it, three of the attendees during this performance were visiting Las Vegas for a bachelor party. They gave the audience a surprisingly impressive impromptu striptease (below).
The local cast of DIVA ROYALE is one of dozens across the country. Along with drag brunches and dinner shows, the entertainers perform for parties and events. Host Reecez O’Hara Sexton has a dedicated following and keeps things moving at a nice clip. Her voice can get a bit grating over time, so know that she pulls double duty as emcee for the evening’s second production.
Overall, DIVA ROYALE is a fun, fast-moving hour that amounts to visual cotton candy. It won’t make you forget Frank Marino’s DIVAS, but will satisfy any needs you may have to see men in dresses. Hey, it’s Vegas!
Umpire’s Call: FLY BALL!
Second Inning – RED VELVET BURLESQUE
This one really surprised me. While I was expecting a cheap knock-off of bigger shows, RED VELVET BURLESQUE packs a lot of wallop into sixty minutes. Like the production that precedes it, RED VELVET BURLESQUE has outlets across the nation. The reason? They, along with Hunk-O-Mania, are presented by controversial managing partner Jeffrey Wachman II.
The NOTORIETY version of R.V.B. has been given an injection of Sin City DNA courtesy of Jennifer Romas. The iconic entertainer behind SEXXY and the recently launched EXXCITE elevates RED VELVET BURLESQUE to new heights…quite literally.
Athletic performers in EXXCITE are somewhat limited by the low ceilings of DUOMO‘s smallish theater. At NOTORIETY, they’re free to swoop, spin, and soar. Although there is an overlap of cast members between the two shows, production numbers are totally unique.
RED VELVET BURLESQUE lacks the powerful vocals of EXXCITE‘s breakout star Gabie Lopez. In her place, DIVA ROYALE‘s Ms. Sexton handles the hosting chores. R.V.B. also adds physical comedy and acrobatics by way of “Mateo” (Mathieu Bolillo). The athlete, formerly of KA by Cirque du Soleil, delivers two gravity-defying numbers right in the center of the audience. Read his Vegas Unfiltered profile here.
After a rousing opening inning, RED VELVET BURLESQUE hits it entirely out of the ballpark. Even if you’re not a fan of burlesque, you’ll likely find plenty to love here. It alone is worth the trip to Fremont Street,
Umpire’s Call – HOME RUN!
Final Inning – HUNK-O-MANIA
After drag versions of Adele, twerking contests, a Cirque-style spoof, and ladies making out in a bathtub, what’s left to do? Unfortunately, the answer is “take a downward trajectory”. HUNK-O-MANIA markets itself as a traditional ticketed production, but it’s not. So if you’re expecting fully choreographed dance sequences, head to Chippendales, Aussie Heat, or Thunder From Down Under instead.
Hunk-O-Mania is essentially a small-scale imitation of the long-running KINGS OF HUSTLER on Dean Martin Drive. Unfortunately, it’s all bump-and-grind with zero showmanship. What many outside producers fail to understand is that Las Vegas is a very unique market. What works in Pitchfork, Oklahoma can land with a resounding thud here.
HUNK-O-MANIA ends up being a lame, tame imitation of KINGS OF HUSTLER. The very loud emcee encourages women to come onstage for “Hot Seat” opportunities. He directs them to a chair and encourages the audience to cover them in dollar bills. Then bored-looking guys grind on the girls, take the cash, and wander through the audience looking for more money. That’s it.
It’s somewhat amusing that you’ll see more women onstage at HUNK-O-MANIA than men. The smallish cast has no real standouts, and their dancing talents are minimal at best. Combine that with unimaginative costumes and some surprisingly unimpressive physiques, and HUNK-O-MANIA becomes quite the disappointment. So head across the hall to Chase Brown’s VEGAS COUNTRY for your downtown man-meat needs.
Umpire’s Call – STRIKE OUT!
If there’s one saving grace to HUNK-O-MANIA, it’s that you can see it for absolutely free. Ticketholders from the previous two shows are invited to stick around when seats are available. NOTORIETY owner Ken Henderson tells me that he’s perfectly fine with the unusual practice: “It’s their showroom for the night. They can do whatever they want. As long as customers continue to buy drinks, it’s okay with me”.
So whether you’re downtown or near the Strip, NOTORIETY and Modern Showrooms at Alexis Park continue to offer a wide variety of entertainment. As for this particular triple-play, two out of three ain’t bad.
NOTORIETY is located at 450 Fremont Street on the third level of NEONOPOLIS. Underground parking is available beneath Neonopolis. Enter the downward ramp just beyond Denny’s on 4th Street and take the elevator to level three.
