Amped-up throng relishes days of ‘Thunder’

Friday, Oct. 31, 2003 | 8:39 a.m.

What gets into the so-called fairer sex when 400 of them attend a male strip show such as "Thunder From Down Under" at Excalibur?

Can they not conduct themselves with a little decorum?

Well, no. At least not at a "Thunder" performance, where handsome hunks with bulging biceps and abs of steel coax women out of their shells and encourage them to live out their fantasies.

"There are two things you won't see here this evening," host David Eller must yell to be heard, "your husbands and your boyfriends."

His words are almost drowned out by women screaming, whistling, howling like -- like men at a topless bar, only louder and wilder and raunchier.

Where are those earplugs?

The revelry, perhaps abetted by a few cocktails, continues almost nonstop throughout the 90-minute performance of the male revue, which boasts of having pleased more than 5 million women around the world during its 14-year history.

It's an evening replete with double-entendres as a fine line is walked between vulgarity and frivolity.

"This is Las Vegas," Eller warns the fans as they get into the spirit of the impending production, "but we're not slot machines. You can't put a quarter in and pull the handle.

"You may get a jackpot that you weren't expecting."

More screams and raucous laughter rock the room.

"Ladies, on the subject of touching," Eller says. "You'll probably come in contact with one or two of us tonight -- in fact, you may end up right here onstage. If that is the case, you will be faced with some interesting things -- please, handle with care girls."

It's all in fun.

There's no real contact, except for some hugging and kissing and handshaking as the nine strippers alternately perform their sexually provocative routines and race through the audience to greet the fans.

One of the things that makes this show so popular is that the stars focus on the women.

Other male strippers draw attention to themselves, their chiseled physiques, their handsome features -- stressing how wonderful they are.

It's about them, the men. But for the "Thunder" cast, it's about the women.

The men are there to entertain, to make sure each and every member of the audience has a good time and leaves feeling good about themselves.

It doesn't matter how beautiful the fans are, or how fat or thin or old.

Each is drawn into the circle of fun. No one is excluded.

A 70-year-old woman who has been married for more than 50 years is pulled onstage to join two women in their 20s for the popular fake orgasm contest.

"Studies show over 50 percent of American women have faked an orgasm," Eller says. "Put your hand up if you've done that before."

Arms shoot up.

More laughter, more screams.

The first young contestant seemed like a sure winner. There was a handful of men sprinkled among the audience, probably dragged there by their wives or girlfriends. If they were voting, the contest would have been over.

The second young entry choked. Eller couldn't get her to speak, much less compete. She was frozen by performance anxiety and finally left the stage without having uttered so much as an "oooh."

It didn't matter that she couldn't fake an orgasm. The audience loved her embarrassment.

They loved it even more when the 70-year-old woman won the event.

The contest may have been rigged, but it nevertheless was entertaining, and that's what "Thunder" is about -- entertainment.

Cast members are fine physical specimens who strip, do cartwheels and back flips and bounce off trampolines to soar through the air.

They dance and lip-sync their way through such songs as "I Will be Your Hero Baby" and "Viva Las Vegas," all the while teasing the women into a sexual frenzy.

"Our job," Eller tells the fans at the start of the show, "is to make sure each and every one of you girls get exactly what you came for."

And they do, if they came to have a good time.