If you stretched out your arms in Las Vegas and spun around, you'd find yourself knocking into at least a dozen shows. Of these, perhaps one or two would stand out. But even then, you'd crave something more: more style, more music, more dancing, more SOMEthing.
Thankfully that wasn't the case when I visited last weekend and found myself at the door to the newest gay ( or 'alternative lifestyle' if you like ) club on the strip. It's appropriately named Krave, and as I write this, I keep glancing at my calendar trying to plan my return trip.
Krave is home to the erotically exotic show aptly named 'The Fashionistas', an extravagant flourish of skin, fabric, music, and dancing that rivals nearly everything else on the Vegas strip. It's an aural and visual feast that you'll want to take in during a visit to the City of Sin.
The story tells a tale of seduction. A young fetish-wear designer, a gorgeous woman named Jesse, dreams about seducing the iconic and handsome fashion designer Antonio. Helena, the owner of 'The Fashionistas', the company Jesse designs for, happens to also be Jesse's lover. This love triangle evolves throughout the course of the show, taking you on a journey that's erotically charged and full of visually stunning costumes.
Truly a multimedia show, there is hardly a moment of down time during the production. Live cameras broadcast the action on screens flanking the stage. At various points, dancers and aerial artists descend from the ceiling on silks and rings into the audience to augment the story. Music, apropos to the scene, moves the action forward, telling the entire story with virtually no spoken dialog.
Every song, drawn from the pop charts and beyond, perfectly sets each scene in motion. Evanescence, Tricky, The Crystal Method, Prodigy, Led Zepplin, and more are paired with costumes, dancing, fantastic set design, and additional live drums in ways you would never think possible, and will probably never see or hear elsewhere.
One of the seduction scenes includes both ''Justify My Love' and 'Erotica' by Madonna, choreographed to introduce the sexy elements of the show. Tracks by Lords of Acid are used in both comic ( 'I Must Increase My Bust' ) and erotic fashion ( 'I Sit On Acid' ) scenes. Even the Paula Cole track 'Feelin' Love' takes a sexy spot in the show.
The cast of more than twenty dancers and performers is so full of energy from beginning to end, you can't help but get charged up by the show. And the beautiful thing about the venue, Krave, is that it turns into a night club just after the show ends. Next week, I'll take a look at Krave the club. But until then, hop online and check out The Fashionistas at www.fashionistastheshow.com .
With you in 4/4,
Peter Mavrik
peter@windycitymediagroup.com