Image by: Marc McLaughlin With a sold-out audience screaming in excitement the ‘Thunder from Down Under (TFDU)’ took to the stage this evening at Thunder Valley Casino and Resort. If you are not aware of whom this group is it would seem that you may be in the minority. TFDU is a group of well-toned Australian men who whip women into a screaming frenzy by gyrating, tantalizing and teasing through individual as well as group strip-tease acts.

Image by: Marc McLaughlin This all male revue, which has been in operation for almost 20 years, is Australia's answer to America’s famous Chippendale Dancers. The main difference between the two acts is that TFDU travels world-wide and continually sells-out most of their shows. This global presence, along with a bevy of well-toned and tan men, helped to make them the most well-reviewed and successful ‘male revue show’ in the world.

Image by: Marc McLaughlin This ninety minute show was nothing but a bachelorette party done right. The men were there for the women and they knew exactly how to please them. Not only did they work the crowd, they used their machismo to tease as many women as possible; they did this by making the women yearn for more at each stage of the performance. Never did they just ‘take it off’ and say “here I am;” instead, they slowly removed their clothing a piece at a time and kept the woman begging for more. Just when you think that the women would have had enough of the performance, the guys find another way to remove clothes and move around the stage which whips the audience back into a frenzy.

Image by: Marc McLaughlin One of the best parts of this show was the fact that it allowed all sorts of woman to let-loose and enjoy themselves. Whether a woman was in a business suit, pair of jeans or a skimpy dress they all seemed to let go of the outside world for a moment and allow the party atmosphere to take over. Although they were there to see the men disrobe, they also got a fantasy show at the same time. For a lucky few who were let on stage, the show was a little more risqué. This mix of fantasy, allure and performance would be difficult to replicate in a female review show – men are just not patient enough to allow the buildup that this kind of show provides. For women it is a completely different story.

Image by: Marc McLaughlin Now, although the show was a flesh-filled spectacle designed for women, it should be noted that there were plenty of production problems. The choreography is not going to win any awards and the dancers are not going to be in any music videos anytime soon. However, that is not what the show is about and being tanned, good looking and ripped was more than enough to make-up for the missteps on the stage or in the production. The production problems did not seem to matter to the screaming women in the audience. In fact, it probably would have been difficult to find a woman who would have had any criticism of the show at all.

Image by: Marc McLaughlin For the men who were forced to attend the show as the accompaniment of their companion, the mere enthusiasm and joy that their partner exuded this evening should have been enough to put a smile on your face.

Marc McLaughlin is a contributing writer and photographer for the Sacramento Press