Las Vegas Weekly

Peepshow: An erotic novelty

Aubrey O’Day is the newest Peep Diva in Peepshow, which stays fresh thanks to revolving leads.

Photo: Ethan Miller / Getty Images

Not as erotically adventurous as Zumanity, but far ahead of more traditional shows like Crazy Girls or Crazy Horse Paris in terms of appeal to a contemporary audience, Peepshow also seems better geared for good times and for couples than Fantasy or Bite.

Peepshow has only been open a short time, but the novelty of constant cast changes means that the show has rotated in and out celebrity leads Kelly Monaco and Mel B. The current incarnation features Holly Madison and former Danity Kane singer Aubrey O’Day. The variety is nice, but going for big names means that each talent comes with unique limitations not true for the rest of the cast, composed of Broadway veteran Jerry Mitchell’s pick of triple-threat talents (sing, dance and act).

Calendar

Peepshow

Sun.-Tues., Thurs., 9 p.m.; Fri. & Sat., 8 & 10:30 p.m.; $65-$165

Planet Hollywood

785-5000

Peepshow was created with production values and staging in mind, and from the start, compared amazingly well to a traditional Vegas topless show. The idea of changing headliners was a good one for media attention as well. But the follow-through has had mixed results. Peepshow opened tight and featured a live band. That band is gone now; so too is the energy produced by having real musicians onstage. Some of the script’s tautness has also been lost, as the show has been reconfigured to fit Madison and O’Day. The paper-thin plot of the original has been thoroughly ripped apart, leaving a more fairy-tale theme in its wake.

There are still outstanding set pieces, including the spectacular muscle-bound-dude-in-a-bathtub-with-a-rope sequence at the end, There is also an entire theme involving milk. It might not add up to much, but Peepshow still offers cotton-ball fun for couples in a way that manages to entertain as much as show flesh.