Showgirls The Musical

I'm not terribly sure if the world was clamoring for a stage version of one of the worst films of the 20th Century in "Showgirls." That hasn't stopped creators Troy Heard and Derek Shipman from creating "Showgirls The Musical." I'm certainly glad that they did because it is hilarious, raunchy and anything but politically correct. Most importantly, it's a fun evening of theater.

Staying true to the film, Nomi Malone (Kady Heard) comes to Las Vegas with dreams of being a top showgirl. She quickly befriends Molly Abrams (Natalie Senecal) who happens to have connections at the Stardust Casino. Nomi pays her dues by first working at Cheetah's (certainly considered among Vegas' more 'low brow' entertainment options). She's then afforded an opportunity to audition at the Stardust where she ultimately finds herself in the stage show "Bitches." Plenty of sleazy characters abound, "Showgirls The Musical" is a fun homage to the 'so awful it's awesome' film from 1995.

Kady Heard is a lot of fun in the role of Nomi. The audience continually cheered her on as she bumbled her way to the top of the Vegas showgirl world. Other fun performances included Amanda Kraft as the rival showgirl Cristal Connors, Natalie Senecal as Nomi's overlooked and frustrated lover Molly Abrams, and Ross Horvitz in his dual role of Al Torres and Andrew Carver.

Probably my favorite performance came from character actor standout Stephen R. Sisson as the crass Mama Bazoom. The stand-up routine alone was absolutely hilarious. As per usual, director Troy Heard did a nice job assembling a talented ensemble of actors for the project.

The Onyx usually subscribes to the 'keep it simple' method when it comes to scenic design. I was quite impressed with Heard's scenic design for this show. The showroom affect was invitingly 'Vegas tacky' but classy at the same time. Combined with the projections to help assist with the transitions, the show was visually interesting throughout. Cari Byers did an excellent job with costume design, further enhancing the show.

The reason why the show works for me is how it pokes fun at Las Vegas culture in general. It's also unapologetic when commenting on the rough employment landscape that is the Las Vegas valley. Countless times, otherwise talented people in this town have had to put their pride in their pockets to perform at embarrassing events such as conventions (or the boat show in the play), all in the name of making ends meet.

Not to belabor a point, suffice it to say that this otherwise talented individual has been there my fair share of times in the three years I've lived here (although not in a showgirl's capacity, of course).

This fast paced, 90-minute show has plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, which was evident by the nearly full house on Friday evening. There's also partial nudity and plenty of foul language. With that, I would suggest audiences aged 18 and up would be best suited to appreciate this show.

"Showgirls The Musical" runs through October 3 at The Onyx Theatre, 953-16B East Sahara Avenue, Las Vegas. For tickets or information, call 702-732-7225 or visit www.onyxtheatre.com.