La Femme


La Femme could be thought of as an excuse to gawk at naked females in a pseudo-classy setting under the pretext that it is "art". Or it could be viewed as legitimate creative expression that showcases the female body. Going into the show, I wasn't sure what my reaction would be, but I walked out impressed with how tastefully it was all done.

The show originates from one of the hottest nightspots in the world, the original Crazy Horse in Paris, famous for its productions celebrating beautiful girls and the "art of the nude" since 1951.

The female body is indeed objectified in the show, but there's very little sexuality or eroticism. The show features a bunch of songs and for each song, one or more of the females dance/move around on the stage. There are different light and film effects used on the female bodies to given a impression of something more than what is actually presented. For example, in one case, dots of white light are projected onto the bodies of the curvacious females with the rest of the stage darkened, which looks as though a polka-dotted blanket waving in the wind when the dancers are moving. These effects are done very well, and when viewing them, the thought of beautiful girls naked doesn't come to mind (at least for me it didn't).

There are moments of humour: in the opening song, God Save Our Bareskin, the dancers appear as guards from the Buckingham Palace (only naked) and march around in perfect unison (apparently none of them have breast implants). There were two interludes featuring a magician and a midget impersonal Michael Jackson and his pet chimpanzee ("Micro Jackson"). These were pretty funny. The song selection is good, featuring Bittersweet Symphony (by the Verve), But I'm a Good Girl, and You Turn Me On.

La Femme is playing indefinitely at the MGM Grand Theatre in Las Vegas, at the time of writing. I recommend checking it out if you have nothing else to do for the evening.


Play ram-blings || Ram Samudrala || me@ram.org || December 27, 2002