The Chippendales: Maybe not a gay man's paradise, but still a fun girls' night out

It was definitely the famous bow ties, skintight leather pants and fireman costumes that got me, along with the rest of the rest of the estrogen-filled crowd at the Chippendales' "Ultimate Girls’ Night Out" at Resorts World Manila last June 13, excessively laughing and shouting for more intimate action.

I settled in my seat and studied the venue, with was about 60 percent empty, then waited for about 30 minutes before the show started. Then the lights dimmed and the red curtains opened, and Bryan Cheatham, the group's dance choreographer and singer, started working his way across the big stage performing a street-inspired song and dance number.

His rendition of Enrique Iglesias "Tonight (I'm Loving You)" was average for an opening act. He missed a few notes, the lights were all over the place, and some of the Chippendales even forgot the correct choreography and blocking.

But even though there were technical problems, the fact that I heard high-pitched howls screaming for more afterwards meant the group accomplished their job to please the ladies.

The second act was a great way to redeem the show. Their version of Queen's "Another One Bites The Dust" was a well-thought-out dance number—after much teasing, they showcased their perfect and oiled physiques in sexy skintight leather pants. The performance was flawless, leaving the crowd hungry for more.


The third performance was definitely one of the highlights of the show—dancing and booty shaking to the tune of Christina Aguilera's hit "Dirrty" dressed as construction workers with props as phallic symbols definitely awakened the resting felines in their audience.

I tried to keep my cool and put on my poker face, but gave up the moment they started undressing, ripping off their sweaty white undershirts to the audience's delight—it made most of the crowd, including myself, more excited to witness and get involved in the next act.

Throughout the succeeding acts, from Kevin Cornell's "Rude Boy" segment where he asked one lucky girl to dress him up with a free peek to see his junk, to the overly hot firemen segment set to Missy Elliott's "Get Ur Freak On" with helmets and water hoses that made a fantasy fetish come to life, to the "Chipp Shot" segment that sent one lucky lady (in her cat ears) straight to nirvana with five hunks giving her a lap dance, to the ultimately hilarious American patriot striptease to Enrique Iglesias' "Hero" in their USA flag-inspired undies—every performance was unique, a bit theatrical, smooth, and overall entertaining.

The best performance of the night was "Do It Anywhere," an erotic and ultimately sexy number all in white that showed how you can do the dirty in three different scenarios: in your bed dressed in silk pajamas (performed by Kevin Cornell), in a chair sporting casual attire (by Matt Marshall), and in a couch in your business attire (by crowd favorite Kris Davis).

Towards the end of the show, Bryan did a favor to the paying costumers, asking them to move forward, nearer the stage. This got the crowd running to secure seats in the front row—and it was a brilliant idea from the performers since it made the whole experience more intimate and reachable.

The level of participation from the shy, "conservative" Pinoy crowd was at first minimal, but thankfully the right teasing by the flirtatious Chippendales turned them cooperative—and appreciative of an experience they will never forget.

However, the whole experience was surprisingly not really the gay man’s paradise that I was hoping for: one of the Chippendales' calling me "bro" made me realize that they cater to women and not really to the women-at-heart.

Nonetheless, the show was imaginative, successful, and entertaining, and the feeling of being seduced by a Chippendale is something you can tick on your bucket list. — BM, GMA News