Male revue takes G-strings to new venue

If you have to dance in a place without air conditioning, it's good that it's a male G-string revue, right?

The male revue "American Storm" plans to move into the V Theater next to Planet Hollywood after the abrupt November closing of Polly Esther's nightclub inside the Stratosphere.

"We actually did really well there," producer Adam Steck says of staging his show in the club. Steck says he "didn't know the economics" of his host's larger operation, but got a clue when the air conditioning went out and wasn't immediately fixed. The cast showed up one day to find sticker-seals on the door indicating the club lost its liquor license.

That was quite a plummet from a March 2007 opening, when the 29,000-square-foot club touted four rooms themed for different decades and decorated with pop-culture memorabilia such as a "Back to the Future" DeLorean.

If the club was not covered by the Stratosphere's liquor license or its power bill, then it was a four-wall operation in the purest sense. But Stratosphere spokesman Michael Gilmartin says the club is considered an "active vendor" -- meaning it has not vacated the space -- barring him from discussing the future. Polly Esther's also closed its other two locations in New York City and San Antonio.

"American Storm," a six-man troupe still featuring cast members from the 2005 reality TV contest "Strip Search," plans to open at the V Theater by the end of the month. It will play just Fridays and Saturdays in the early going. ...

The V Theater is down one title after "The $1,000,000 Vegas Game Show" decided to put itself on hiatus after Sunday's show. Theater operator David Saxe says the show did well enough to consider a return, but producer Jeff Gitlin was undercapitalized for the dry season everyone expects this winter. ...

No one has pushed the stop button on the musical chairs game, so "Stomp Out Loud" and "Fuego Raw Talent" still haven't plopped down in new places after closing Sunday. It sounds like talks are going well for "Stomp" to move into the Sahara theater being vacated by "Fuego."

"Fuego" producer N.D. (Nicole Durr) stopped short of announcing a new location when she addressed the cast and audience at the final performance. But when she said the show was moving on to a "bigger and better" place, someone from the audience called out "Rio!"

The Rio's Masquerade Showroom is vacant and hosted the Latin-themed Club Rio for years. There is talk that N.D.'s new concept is an environmental Latin club more like Rumjungle at Mandalay Bay. However, a Rio spokeswoman stresses there is no signed deal. Indeed, it sounds like the producer and the Sahara still are squabbling over unpaid bills, and that there is much to clear up before N.D. can start anew. ...

Singer Skip Martin wanted to clarify last week's item about litigation against him by the group Kool and The Gang. The band went to court to stop ads for Martin's New Year's Eve show from billing him as the group's former lead singer. The group's request for an injunction was denied after last week's column was written, though I did report the show was to continue as planned. The case remains active, but denial of the injunction suggests it's unlikely to go in the group's favor. ...

Bargain hounds know Cirque du Soleil's "Love" is on the short list of titles that haven't offered much in the way of discounts or locals deals; the Beatles show wasn't among the three Cirques discounted during the holidays.

But now there is a value-added offer for late shows until the end of February. You pay $150, but you get a prix fixe dinner at Stack, a free drink at the Revolution Lounge and free admission to spend more money in the Jet nightclub. ...

Dean Sterling, the hypnotist who performed as "Dr. Naughty" at the Bourbon Street and Greek Isles in the 1990s and early 2000s, has died out of state after a long illness. ...

As Terry Fator prepares to launch his residency at The Mirage, we're waiting to see if this year's "America's Got Talent" winners can refute the idea that Fator's Las Vegas jackpot is an anomaly.

Nuttin' But Stringz, the hip-hop violin group that seemed likely to land here as a specialty act, was set to do a private Mandalay Bay ballroom gig for AutoTrader.com on Tuesday. It's a far cry from your own theater at The Mirage, but it's a start.

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.