Topless girls and Las Vegas go together like peanut butter and chocolate, but introducing new shows on top of already established shows can be a tricky venture. After all, there are so many topless revues happening around the aptly named Sin City. This is why X Burlesque had such a hard time in the beginning – they were up against the gamut.

X Burlesque is one of the most risqué and entertaining topless shows in Vegas right now, but it certainly wasn’t always like that. The show has been around for years, but has failed a few times due to poor production and spacey venues with no intimate feel at all. There was also the lack of originality working against X, but they’ve tightened up some.

These days, X Burlesque can be found at Bugsy’s Cabaret at the Flamingo. The 180-seat theater is a great setting for such a show. It’s infinitely more intimate than the warehouse-like auditorium they used to play, and with big TV screens on either side of the stage, there’s a new-age 3D feel to it all. Plus the ticket prices are only around $60 now.

The show gets the name “X” from the six girls performing. These top-of-the-heap Vegas showgirls are known as the “X” girls of Sin City, and they’re in high demand in terms of topless shows. Coupled with original choreography, the girls are able to entertain at a frenetic pace that leaves most people exhausted from simply watching the show.

As far as the moves are concerned, there are moments when the burlesque name is trampled on. Throughout some of the show, it seems as if you’re watching glorified strippers. However, seeing as this is a strict “man show,” the strip club appeal X Burlesque has doesn’t seem to hurt things at all.

There’s a lot of personal attention paid to the audience. In one portion of the show, the girls even pull a lucky guy up on stage and perform a series of lap-dance-like moves while dressed in full on stewardess gear. It’s bachelor party fodder, mostly, but the various scenarios tend to make you forget about the stripper pole on the stage (unless it’s being used).

The music is wide ranging and is appealing to almost anyone’s taste. They play tons of popular music, both from yesteryear and even today’s biggest hits, and the girls dance to everything from hip hop and rock to country.

Lest you think the entire show is all about topless girls grinding around the stage and making the men in the audience whoop and holler, they take some timely breaks throughout to set up for their next routines. This is when the comedic portion of the show begins.

X Burlesque features a few hot comics of the Vegas scene, including James Bean and Nancy Ryan. These particular comics were chosen due to their proclivity for naughty humor. It plays well with the show and it doesn’t seem to be forced on you.

X Burlesque doesn’t take the top spot as far as topless shows are concerned, but with a mix of good music, sultry dancing, comedy and six hot girls, it definitely has its niche.