MGM Grand’s ‘La Femme’ is an impressive body of work

Friday, May 28, 2004 | 8:40 a.m.

Art, by its very nature, is about control.

The painter controls the brush. The author controls the word. The dancer controls the movement.

Art may be subtle - observers are so totally absorbed in the work of the artist that they are unaware that they are being controlled and manipulated.

Or it may be obvious, which is the case in "La Femme," a topless revue that will begin its fourth year at the MGM Grand on June 14.

"La Femme" is the American version of the Parisian production "Crazy Horse," which was created in 1951 by the late Alain Bernardin, a painter in his younger years.

With the eye of a painter, Bernardin (who died in 1994) produced a nude show that was not about nudity, but about art - the naked bodies became canvases upon which light projects shapes, colors and images, on occasion blending the forms into the background.

After more than 50 years "Crazy Horse" has managed to adhere to Bernardin's basic principle, evolving into an art form which is itself a work of art in the hands of artistic director Sophie Bernardin, the daughter of the show's creator.

The titles "Crazy Horse" and "La Femme" are interchangeable -- except for the Paris show having one additional number and total nudity, the two revues are exactly the same. Even the stage dimensions are precisely alike.

The stage itself is unusual -- most stages are broad and deep and high. The "La Femme" stage is small and oblong, shaped like an envelope or the latest plasma-screen television sets.

The production in Paris routinely changes a number or two within the show every few months, with the effect of evolving into a new revue every five years or so.

Wednesday, Bernardin unveiled seven new production numbers to keep pace with the show in Paris. But the new routines follow the tenet of creating a work of art out of the female body.

The overall effect is one of subtle eroticism. If someone is looking for something salacious, this isn't the place.

While there is subtlety in the sensuality, that isn't the case with the art.

The first number drives home the point.

The entire cast of 12 performers are onstage, wearing practically nothing but for bearskin busbys (the tall, fur hats worn by palace guards in England).

They exercise a precise, rigid routine of military-like motions as they parade around the stage.

Rigidity and precision are evident throughout the production.

The humor is more subtle.

The number in which the performers are wearing bearskin caps is titled "God Save Our Bareskin."

One of the most sensual numbers in the show involves a girl performing a routine on a red couch that is shaped like a pair of lips. As she moves erotically on the sofa she sheds what few articles of clothing she has, until she appears to be totally nude (an illusion -- strategically placed strips of cloth or tape keep the show within the legal limits).

A close runner-up is a scene in which three women cavort on a platform.

Between each scene, a dancer performs a solo number introducing the vignette.

There are two speciality acts in the show, one a magician who performs sleight-of-hand card tricks and one involving a dwarf Michael Jackson and a dwarf gorilla. The magician was impressive.

While the action onstage is tightly controlled, fans shouldn't feel they have to be. "La Femme" is a work of art that is to be appreciated.