I never thought I was really going to watch Chippendales!
Months ago when I read that they were coming, I was quite excited! Not because it’s a bunch of male strippers, but because it was unthinkable in the past for a group of male erotic dancers to perform in Singapore.
I remembered when I visited Las Vegas in June last year and seeing billboards of them as well as many other shows of every kind for both men and women, I wondered if what I was seeing there would eventually be made available in Singapore.
Now we have Chippendales, which is a good start, and since I missed my opportunity last year, I must make up for it this time!!
My first visit to the Resorts World Sentosa was for this show! The Coliseum is a non-airconditioned, fully sheltered amphitheatre at Hard Rock Hotel. There are huge coolers at the sides though. I wouldn't recommend buying front row side seats because the speakers are deafening. The most expensive ticket cost S$200, which gives you better cushioned seats with a little wooden table in between, and free flow alcohol.
My girlfriend and I with our Russian Vodka Martinis! Sweeeeet!
After the show, you can take a group photograph with the boys for S$20.
The men are being split into 2 groups, so here's the other group.
The poor men must be suffering in our heat. Not only are they performing in a non-airconditioned venue, they have to come out clothed in layers of clothes first, so there’s somewhere to go, if you know what I mean. They were meant to tease but I’m not sure they feel sexy with the perspiration dripping off their foreheads. It’s almost like they can’t wait to take off all the clothes because it’s too hot not to.
The last piece of item on them would be a g-string, and that never comes off. The stripping is coordinated with the dance moves, and very tastefully choreographed, so there’s nothing sleazy about the show. It’s more a bunch of men with very good bodies singing and dancing with very little clothes on. And of course, using props that are phallic symbols.
The crowd that day was quite sporting, women were screaming and cheering the men on while they ripped their tank tops and pulled their boxers off. Some got out from their chairs and danced but most women were reserved than wild. The men came downstage a few times to interact with the audience, which was good for the people who paid for tickets at the back.
The good thing about the venue was that it encourages spontaneity and doesn’t put a vast physical distance between the audience and the stage. Yet there was something unemotional about the whole experience. The things they said throughout the performance felt contrived, like you know they have already said this to every audience for every show. Once in a while, you get one Chippendale talking to the audience but while he tried to engage the audience, asking questions like “Who would like to keep me company tonight?”, it felt like he didn’t really care about our response, because really, all that talk was to buy time for the rest of the men to change.
Maybe it’s the heat, that makes them want to be over and done with so they can relax in the comfort of their hotel rooms. That, I don’t blame them.
But the next time I’m in Vegas, I’d be having different expectations.
A Jolly Affair 