Riviera’s ‘Crazy Girls’ still can’t be topped

Friday, Jan. 24, 2003 | 9:06 a.m.

What: "Crazy Girls."

When: 8 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., Fridays through Wednesdays.

Where: Riviera's Crazy Girls Theatre.

Tickets: $34, $50.

Information: (702) 794-9433.

Rating (out of 5 stars): ** 1/2

It's important I keep abreast of the shows in Las Vegas, which was my sole motivation for dropping by the Riviera recently to see "Crazy Girls."

I swear it was. No ifs, ands or buts. "Crazy" may be too strong an adjective for the topless girls who dance their way through this 60-minute production.

"A little risque" might be a more accurate description.

The women of "X, An Erotic Adventure" at the Aladdin get a lot crazier than the hard-bodied lip-synchers at the Riviera.

Fake singing is not the only thing unreal about "Crazy Girls," which features the song "You Gotta Have Boobs" ("Silicon is a girl's best friend").

The entertainment, however, is real. How else can you explain that this modest show (in terms of production values, not bare skin) has been around for 15 years, and recently signed a contract for another three?

There is very little to find offensive about "Crazy Girls." It isn't raunchy, it isn't in the league of the all-nude shows at the Palomino Club. Neither does it achieve the artistic heights of the classy "Le Femme" at MGM Grand.

But the women are gorgeous and they are good dancers who are safe enough for the whole family (assuming the kids are adults).

Half of the audience on one recent night was made up of middle-aged and older couples, a few of them probably old enough to remember vaudeville and burlesque, which (bottom line) is what "Crazy Girls" is all about.

The show's sustained success might be, in part, because from time to time the production gets a marketing kick in the butt when someone complains about the classic advertisement that has promoted "Crazy Girls" for years.

Billboards and posters on taxicabs feature the picture of the rear ends of several girls from the show, with the unfinished statement, "No ifs, ands or ..."

In 1994, the city complained about the visual and asked the Riviera to remove a prominently displayed billboard featuring the girls. The Riviera declined and the city backed down.

In 1997, the National Organization of Women staged a protest when a bronze statue of the women's behinds was unveiled at the Riviera. Again the hotel refused to surrender and left the statue placed prominently against a wall, a kind of buttress, if you will.

In 1999 state Sen. Bill O'Donnell, R-Las Vegas, who chaired the Senate committee that regulates the taxicab industry, complained about the risque photos appearing on cabs all over the city.

All of these complaints garnered widespread publicity and are part of a video that plays for about 10 minutes before the curtain opens on "Crazy Girls" and eight sexy women in leather chaps, vests and studded G-strings are revealed in the now-legendary pose.

Most of the routines are titillating without being tasteless. Some of them do achieve a degree of artistic success, one involving a dancer inside a large, neon-lit hoop.

Featured entertainer and host Joe Trammel is a highlight of the show.

His rapid-fire prop humor, much of which can't be described in a family newspaper, had the whole room tittering. It involved blow-up dolls, sharks, plastic breasts and the Village People, among other things.

Topless entertainment isn't for everyone. If you are offended by bare breasts, then you probably should go see Siegfried & Roy (another source of Trammel's humor).

But if you're looking for one of the best topless bargains in town, check out "Crazy Girls."