‘Cherry Boom Boom’ blends topless flash, sass, rock — and a little commedia dell’arte

A topless show influenced by commedia dell’arte?

Talking about the need to be “connected emotionally to what’s happening”?

Must be from L.A.

But why not? New York had its shot at updating the Las Vegas topless revue with the four-year run of “Peepshow.” Now it’s the West Coast’s turn with “Cherry Boom Boom,” set to open Wednesday at the Tropicana (Performances through Sept. 28 are considered previews).

It’s not like Las Vegas itself has done such a great job keeping its signature genre thriving on larger stages. Sure, a half dozen dance shows crowd the cabaret-sized venues, and a couple of them (“Fantasy,” “Pin Up”) are at the large end of “small.” But any more ambitious attempts to replace “Jubilee,” or even “Peepshow,” have not been encouraged by a clear sign of just what it is people want to see now in a Las Vegas revue.

“There’s nothing in between. We’re above the girlie show in the small cabarets and below the Cirque (du Soleil) shows. So where do we live here?” notes producer Shana Betz. “That’s really the challenge for us.”

At least the literal answer to her question is easy. The Tropicana once hosted the ’60s grandeur of “Les Folies Bergere,” but the remodeled showroom now seems midsized compared to Cirque. Perhaps the deep red color scheme of a recent remodeling is serendipitous for a show attempting to sum up its attitude as “rock ’n’ roll a go-go.”

“We are the first adult show in the Tropicana in seven years. The ‘Follies (Bergere)’ were here, and we are the next incarnation in a modern way,” Betz says. “We feel a lot of weight but also are excited to show people what the Tropicana has to offer now.”

Creator-director Lindsley Allen says that in Los Angeles, the catchy title named the entity (much like Chippendales or the Blue Man Group). The show itself had a separate title, “The Rendezvous,” when it ran in Hollywood’s King King club in 2010.

“We think of Cherry Boom Boom more as a band … more like a rock band,” Allen says. The new show program even looks like a vinyl album cover. “To me the name says Americana.”

But she and Betz agree their marketing will have to combat the perception that “Cherry Boom Boom” is retro burlesque, catering to that striptease subculture of tattoos and Betty Page fetishes.

“There is a little overlap because true burlesque has a lot of theatrics in it, and it’s very funny and teasing,” Allen says.

But “Cherry” draws from a wide spectrum of influence, as Las Vegas revues always have since the late 1950s, when the Strip hosted both lavish French feather shows and refugees of the dying burlesque circuit.

If “Peepshow” reflected the Broadway sensibilities of creator Jerry Mitchell, “Cherry” springs from the Los Angeles dance world of music videos and pop star tours that gave us the Pussycat Dolls.

Allen was an original member of the Dolls, the modern burlesque troupe that became an L.A. happening at The Viper Room before making the jump to pop stardom.

But Allen and Betz met through Tim Robbins’ legitimate theater company The Actors Gang, where they studied the 17th-century commedia dell’arte and its familiar stock characters in nonverbal storytelling.

“I just wanted to bring my two worlds together, dance and theatrical,” Allen says. “I just wanted to have a narrative through great dance numbers.”

The simplest of storylines follows a guy and a gal destined to end up together from the moment the audience meets them — in the audience, before the show even officially begins.

“She’s got her luggage, he’s walking with a backpack and they’re looking for a job. The meet on the stage and we get to follow their love story,” Betz explains. “How they’re feeling is always supported by the songs and the dance.”

Allen’s husband, V.J. Foster, is helping punch the theatrical elements. “It’s that emotional immediacy that makes the difference from any kind of revue (format),” he says. “You’re going on an emotional ride …

“We have this kick-ass dance show, but we’ve also inserted this lover narrative that intertwines. Because the dancers are living the life, showing the dream, showing the passion, showing the lesson of love lost and reunion, which kind of drives the story.”

One area where “Cherry” is not such a departure: Like most of the Strip’s topless shows now, it’s helmed by women.

“Each moment that is topless is earned in a very specific way,” Allen says.

“All the women are strong individuals owning their sexuality,” Betz says. “A lot of the other shows are very coquettish.”

“There’s a lot of humor in it,” Allen adds. “They’re not taking themselves so seriously. Even though they’re badass hot dancers, there’s a lot of humor.”

“They’re having fun with their sexuality,” Betz says. “It’s not, ‘Am I turning you on?” It’s like, ‘I know I’m turning you on.’ ”

Read more from Mike Weatherford at reviewjournal.com. Contact him at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com and follow @Mikeweatherford on Twitter.