Chippendales bounce back at Rio, and not a moment too soon

For more than a year, it was more a matter of “where” than “if” for Chippendales.

The show was sort of floating (or gyrating) in adult-revue limbo throughout the pandemic. For a time it seemed the boys in bow ties would head to Omnia at Caesars Palace. Then its room at Rio appeared to be closed for good, a result of Caesars Entertainment’s decision to shut down many of its small-capacity venues in May.

The show insisted it would find a place to play, even as the playground shrank.

In the end, the Chipps brand, and its fired-up cast, has proved it isn’t dispensable. The show has bounced back in the very home we expected to be closed at Rio this weekend.

“This is our home, and I think that Caesars just felt we were the right piece of entertainment to have in the hotel,” Chippendales Director of Operations Katerina Tabakhov said before Friday’s packed performance. “We are super happy to be back here. Everything is exactly how we need it to be.”

Company officials have effectively confirmed that stance.

“The return of Chippendales at the Rio rounds out the right level of programming for the property,” Caesars Entertainment’s president of entertainment, Jason Gastwirth, said in a statement. “We are incredibly pleased to begin offering the show to our guests yet again.”

If Friday night’s performance is an indication, the production hasn’t at all lost its capacity to ignite and excite bachelorette parties. Audience members are still summoned to the stage to take party in the “50 Shades” spoof, or demonstrate their favorite sexual positions amid a cascade of screams.

Other returning crowd favorites are the motorcycle striptease (which will get you thrown out of any Harley-Davidson dealership), the signature shower scene (loofah optional) and a new Latin-themed number that plays like a New Year’s Eve party in Cabo.

The most obvious difference between now and back then, of course, is the crowd is in face masks. And boy, the theater’s crew (and the dancers themselves) are taskmasters about keeping those masks up unless you are actively drinking.

There was plenty of that Friday. There were at least a half-dozen bachelorette celebrations in the venues, cocktails flowing as freely as the partiers’ dance moves. The shrieks weren’t muffled by their face covers, either.

“Our audiences have been wild,” says Tabakhov, who has effectively taken over operations as visionary shareholder Kevin Denberg (long the show’s managing partner) has shed involvement in the production. “No matter how depressing it is outside, it’s fun in here.”

The Chipps performers and numbers were in impressive condition, especially considering they had four weeks to whip themselves back into shape for the relaunch.

The show is trumpeting the return of Chipps vet Chaun Williams, also featured on the HBO Max series “FBoy Island.” Williams was so young when he started his first tour in the show (just 19) he couldn’t even visit the adjacent Flirt Lounge after the show. Also in the mix is Ricky Rogers, who has wound up on MTV’s “Double Shot at Love” and “Jersey Shore Family Vacation” with his friend and former Chipps celebrity guest host Vinny Guadagnino.

The show’s dance captain, Ryan Kelsey, is back. He is the rare adult-review performer who has donned a Colonel Sanders costume, for a KFC “Chickendales” commercial. Kelsey is also playing guitar in a couple of spots; he has developed his music skills throughout COVID.

And the show’s vocalist, Jayson Michael, can belt it, even while slipping out of one.

Chippendales’ return could not have come soon enough. Competition is steep for male revues in Las Vegas. “Magic Mike Live” is in a new theater at the Sahara and is also the focus of an HBO Max reality-contest show, “The Real Magic Mike” (premiere date to be announced). “Thunder From Down Under” has been performing for months at its fancy new theater, Thunderland Showroom, at Excalibur (that show’s opening in 2002 actually pre-dates Chippendales). “Aussie Heat” has been running since June 2020 at Mosaic on the Strip. A new revue, “Uncensored,” opened in July at Señor Frog’s at Treasure Island.

But the Chippendales are kind of like the New York Yankees of male strip shows. The brand is forever familiar, earning equity with its iconic shirtless-bow tie costumes. The image has been recognizable for 40 years, boosted by the late Patrick Swayze and Chris Farley in their epic Chipps-audition skit on “SNL.” Such ventures as KFC’s “Chickendales” campaign only enhances the brand recognition.

The Chipps are currently the focus of two streaming projects. “Immigrant,” starring Kumail Nanjiani, is an eight-part series targeted for Hulu. Also, the Oscar-winning production company Lightbox is developing “Curse of the Chippendales,” a four-part docuseries that has been approved by Discovery+ streaming service. A timeline for distribution for both projects is also to be announced.

All that multimedia activity for a show that, at the moment, has no touring production and no performances outside the Rio. The Chippendales live performances are carried by these 10 guys at an off-Strip hotel, while some of its toughest competition plays to new rooms on the Strip.

“We know there is way more competition than ever, so we are keeping busy,” Tabakhov said. “But we are feeling solid. The show has been performing great. We like where we are.”

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.