Ivan Kane’s Forty Deuce inside Mandalay Bay is known for its steamy burlesque acts, heavy on the eye candy for those who appreciate the female form (read: mostly men). But Monday nights at the intimate nightclub offer a different kind of eye candy, and though we didn’t expect it, it makes sense that the appreciators are still mostly men.

The official launch of “Stormy Monday” Monday night proved one thing: The new male burlesque revue at the popular nightspot is not meant to compete for the attention of the screaming women that you’ll find at Chippendales or Thunder from Down Under. No, “Stormy Monday” is, unequivocally, Forty Deuce’s gay night.

And that’s a good thing. There aren’t really any other “mainstream” nightclubs on the Las Vegas Strip offering a truly gay-friendly experience. But from the moment you walk into “Stormy Monday,” the gay vibe is unmistakable – pulsing house music, shirtless, beefcake bartenders, go-go boys in metallic shorts riding the dancers’ poles. The club has even partnered with prominent LGBT publications such as Instinct and The Advocate for special events, a smart move that will hopefully build and maintain gay interest in the “Stormy Monday” brand.

For the grand opening this week, other members of the Las Vegas male dancer community turned out to support their ab-tastic brethren, including Tony and Terry Cress of American Storm and former Fear Factor contestant Mitchell Tannis of Sirens at TI. At one point, Tannis and a friend took to the stage between performances to show off his moves for the crowd of admiring boys and girls.

As for the choreographed show itself, it lacks a bit of the sassiness and polish we’ve come to expect from the female performances at Forty Deuce, but there were some hot moments, including some interconnecting moves between the entire group and creative use of the stage’s rails. However, Ivan Kane might need to invest in better reinforcement for his dancers’ poles: One of the enthusiastic go-go boys, between sets, was grinding so hard atop one of the dancers’ platforms that he pulled loose the pole from the ceiling. We guess when you design a club for delicate, 100-pound girl dancers, there’s going to be a period of adjustment when beefy men start shaking their packages all around the room.

By Pj Perez

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