Crazy Girls

Show Review

Crazy Girls pushes the boundaries

By Justin Lawson

There isn't much of the old Las Vegas left. If you've watched a movie or read a story about what Las Vegas was like in the heyday, you've seen that times were different then.

Heck, in the '60s you could have bought Frank Sinatra a drink after the show and even talked to him without being ushered away by security.    

Now, the most popular place to rekindle your love for old-school Vegas is through tribute shows.

Well, there is one other place. Crazy Girls at the Riviera doesn't date back to Frank and Dean, but it is the longest running topless revue on the Strip.

The show has dropped the curtain countless times over the last 20 years and was such an iconic show during the '90s that it was featured on a plethora national news shows and set up a city-wide debate when advertisements featured a row of women wearing nothing but thongs.

While you can still see the classic ads around town, Crazy Girls isn't just about the nostalgia. You won't see the same girls in the show that made it famous 20 years ago. What you will find is a blend of girls who were too young to remember or weren't even born yet when the show kicked off.

After you see Crazy Girls it feels like you just spent the last hour at a strip club, but you don't have the glitter and perfume on your shirt to prove it. Eight girls grace the stage to a variety of songs ranging from Aerosmith's "Pink," to Ruth Wallis' hilarious song "You've Gotta Have Boobs."

The climax of the show is easily the girl-on-girl performance that is done with very little lighting to help accentuate the beauty of the girls on stage. The performers add to the sensual routine by wearing nude-colored thongs that make patrons take an extra long look at the performance.

One thing you will be sure to remember from the show is the effective use of props. Sure, you don't think about props when you attend a topless revue, but after witnessing the scenes like the one on a rotating platform bed you'll think differently.

While some elements of the show have changed over the last 20 years, one thing is still clear: The emphasis is still on the women in the show. And the Crazy Girls wouldn't have it any other way.