A Date With The ‘X’

Friday, Nov. 5, 2004 | 9:16 a.m.

"X -- An Erotic Adventure" is now "X -- Under the Covers."

The sexy revue produced by Bobby Boling and his business associate, Angela Sampras (a former dancer with "Crazy Girls"), was topless when it premiered at another venue in the Aladdin in 2002.

But when "X" debuted at the V Theatre on Saturday, the eight dancers were covered.

The showroom, owned by producer David Saxe, sits in a no-show zone at the Desert Passage mall at Aladdin, where females can't bare it all.

"We were going to do it topless but there are certain zoning restrictions," Boling said. "We didn't have the right licensing to go topless."

The producers weren't aware of the restrictions until two weeks before the show was to open, not far from the showroom where they originated two years ago -- a room they had to vacate to make room for magician Steve Wyrick.

"We were happy to get the word two weeks before opening about the restrictions," Boling said. "It gave us time to work with costuming and to figure out what we were going to do with the show.

"We had plenty of time to make the necessary adjustments."

Bare breasts are acceptable in one area of the Aladdin, near the casino, but not the other -- Desert Passage, a venue known mostly for shopping and dining.

The frustrated producers were in a dilemma and turned to Saxe for advice.

Saxe is a longtime producer of shows in Vegas, among them "V, the Ultimate Variety Show" and "Showgirls of Magic."

"David is a creative guy, as are we," Boling said. "We came up with a way of taking the lemon and making lemonade."

Boling said they conducted some research and discovered that of all the tourists who come to Vegas, only 20 percent are likely to attend a topless show.

"So, we can gear our advertising to the other 80 percent," he said. "That was one plus. Another thing we discovered is that most of the ticket sales are determined by the woman."

Boling said that not baring breasts could help in targeting women customers.

"They aren't going to take their husband to see boobs," he said.

Therefore, Boling reasoned, "X" should be able to sell more tickets than if the show were topless.

"But having said that," he said, "the restriction is that you can't show the nipple. So we are using pasties, creative sheer bras, some latex. It's still as sexy as ever, maybe a little bit sexier. One of the sexiest things we have is the power of imagination. If you don't see it all, it gets you going.

"It's sexier. We're really happy with the way it turned out."

Nevertheless, the producers are working on getting a less-restrictive license so the dancers can show more skin.

"That's the way the show was designed," Boling explained. "Meanwhile, not being topless doesn't hurt. Who knows? This might be better. It comes down to dollars and cents."

X underrated

"X" closed at the Aladdin in October 2003, after a year's run.

Two months later it opened at Harvey's at Lake Tahoe, where a version of the topless production is still running strong.

"Part of our mission is to create a brand," Boling said. "We want shows all over, not just at Tahoe and Vegas. We're talking to people in New Orleans, Atlantic City, Chicago, Miami, Paris, Tokyo."

But for now, he's happy to be back in Vegas, even with the topless restrictions.

"We've always considered Vegas to be our home," he said. "We're thrilled to be here."

Boling and Sampras are four-walling the room, leasing the venue from Saxe.

"It's the first time we have ever four-walled a room," Boling said.

He likes the arrangement. It puts his marketing skills to good use.

"We're finding it rather fun," Boling said. "We're enjoying it. We have control over all of the advertising, the billboards, the cabs. We determine how much we are going to spend here and there. It's quite an interesting experience."

X-changes

Covered breasts are not the only changes for "X."

"One of the biggest changes is the venue," Boling said. "At the other place we always felt like we were in a shoe box. It limited us to what we could do. Now we're in a big theater with a high ceiling. We can expand and do bigger things."

That means adding some acrobatics that weren't in the earlier show.

Other changes include four new production numbers and a permanent featured guest, Amy Miller.

Initially, a new guest joined the show each month.

"It was hard finding a new one every month," Boling said.

All of the featured guests, including Miller, have some connection to Playboy.

"Whether they were former playmates or models," he said. "We wanted to associate with that kind of attraction."

Comedian James Bean also has joined the cast.

"Our goal is to be hip, cutting edge, very now," Boling said. "To that end we have replaced some of the elements, the music that was old. And we added some more dynamics."

Boling described the "X" girls as natural women.

"They aren't eight Barbie dolls," he said. "Each is unique, charming and charismatic. Putting all eight onstage is dynamite."