Show overflows with sex appeal

Monday, April 23, 2007 | 7:37 a.m.

What: "Crazy Horse Paris"

When: 8 and 10:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Mondays, dark Tuesdays

Where: MGM Grand's Crazy Horse Theater

Tickets: $59; 891-7777

Also: Dita Von Teese's final two shows with the troupe are tonight

The guest appearance of internationally acclaimed stripper Dita Von Teese in MGM's topless production "Crazy Horse Paris" is a bust.

Sure she's beautiful and sexy and probably worth the price of admission into a show of her own, but as an asterisk in Las Vegas' best topless production she is a waste of time and energy.

That's nothing against Von Teese (who wraps up her run tonight ) or the show (which should be there indefinitely), it's just a matter of colliding stars cance ling out one another.

You anticipate the appearance of the slim-waisted, retro-garbed performer and don't fully appreciate the beauty that is before your eyes before her arrival.

And then when she finally does make her appearance, it is all too brief, even though it is the much talked-about "le Bain" bathtub scene.

Crazy Horse (formerly "La Femme") is a superior production. It doesn't need a guest star to give it added appeal, especially if the star is going to have little more than a cameo role.

To be effective the guest should become more of an integral part of the show, make her presence felt.

But the new owners, who took over last year, may be determined to put their imprint on the production, even though it ain't broke.

Other topless shows claiming to be sensual and erotic could learn a lot from this show, which blends sexuality and art in a unique way.

From the opening number - "God Save Our Bareskin" with scantily clad female palace guards in bearskin caps performing a rigid marching routine - to the final curtain, this is a strong production worth seeing.

Sad to say, but inserting Von Teese as a guest star doesn't make it any more compelling.