When Romance authors want a night out, what better way could there be than to combine business and pleasure by attending a male revue show? Hot guys are a big part of the romance novel industry, so yeah, I say watching male strippers counts as research!

My three author friends and I certainly got our money’s worth when we recently attended the Fifty Shades of Men Male Revue show at a local tavern. According to their website, they are a “product of the past members from the East Coast, West Coast and International Touring Chippendales.” Though there are nine male dancers in the company, only four performed on stage for us, and one was the announcer as well as a dancer. At first I was disappointed there were not more dancers (variety is the spice, after all), but that quickly dissipated as I saw how versatile these young men were.

Often wearing the Chippendale’s iconic bow ties and little else, the young men delighted the audience with several routines, changing costumes quickly between songs. About half of the routines included several lucky audience members sitting on chairs onstage who got lap dances, and were often called on to embarrass themselves in the name of fun. No one seemed to mind and most of the ladies were grinning the whole time.

Before and during the show, the dancers also made the rounds of the tables in the VIP section, where we were. They posed for photos, flirted, smiled, and wiggled their way across the crowded floor. The place was a dark, loud, mass of hooting and squealing women, set to the thump of raucous dance music. We loved every minute of it.

Though formulaic, the routines were still entertaining. Someone’s mom was lucky enough to have three dancers vying for her attention at the same time. She sat onstage, smiling and blushing while the men distracted her in turns, removing their clothing piece by piece. She even got to help, lucky girl!

One of my favorites was done to the song, “You Can Leave Your Hat On”. Two hotties, one a smoldering dark-haired gent who should be on a vampire novel cover, and the other a blond cross between a young Brad Pitt and

Chris Hemsworth (swoon), began in dress slacks and a button down shirt and tie. By the end of the song, the hat was all they had left. As it should be!

The Men in Uniform was an audience favorite, ending with some of the most patriotic underwear I’ve ever seen.

Next came the fire fighters, then the doctors, and the show ended with what seemed to be the hottest costumes of all- the cowboys.

I must not be the only one who gets a thrill seeing tight jeans and cowboy hat on well-muscled man. There’s just something about that look, so simple, yet so masculine. Everyone screamed, and the lucky ladies on stage even got to dance with the half-naked cowboys. The guys seemed to really enjoy themselves, too.

This was an inexpensive show- prices range from $10-$39 per show, according to their website. But laser lights or fancier costumes would not have enhanced our experience by much. We came to see good looking men take their clothes off, and we were not disappointed. It may not have been our dream stripper show, as described in my earlier post, Romance Novel Heroes Bare All, but it came pretty close. We laughed, we ogled, we had a good time. The only disappointment was there was no BDSM references, no cuffs or other kinky implements, despite the name of the troupe and the show. But I would definitely recommend the Fifty Shades of Men Male Revue, if you and your friends are looking for a fun night out.

While we are on the subject, what’s your favorite male stripper costume?