Anyone who has seen the other Vegas Cirque du Soleil shows "Mystère," "O," and KÀ" can probably attest to the fact that Cirque knows "sexy." Portions of those shows are downright erotic in a way that doesn't pander or talk down to the audience so it seemed like a natural extension of that ethos to develop an entire show immersed in sexuality and a celebration of same. That was the theory behind "Zumanity," the Cirque du Soleil production playing at New York-New York since August of 2003.

When I first saw this show shortly after it opened, I was unimpressed to say the least. Somewhere between the theory and the reality the concept of what is truly sexy got lost along the way and "Zumanity" wound up failing to rise to the challenge in more ways than one. Instead of titillating we got tacky; instead of naughty we got nasty; instead of erotic we got "ewww." Instead of aspiring to the relative class of "Playboy," it was what the magazine "Hustler" would be if it Larry Flynt could turn it into a musical.

Since then the show has evolved as most long-running shows in Las Vegas do and I'm happy to report that it has definitely improved. Newer acts are more sensual and strive toward an eroticism that may not always be achieved, but at least they are reaching up instead of sinking to the gutter for the attempt. And some of the truly vulgar bits have been thankfully excised (the "comic relief" bridge acts are less Benny Hill and more Monty Python these days).

The first half of the show was significantly better than it used to be in just about every subjective measure. But then the second half of the show devolves into crassness again I ultimately I walked away disappointed.

Like other Cirque productions, "Zumanity" is a blend of avant-garde theater and circus-style acrobatics only here they are all staged with an eye toward sex and some of its various permutations. Newer acts that worked well include a dramatic African style dance and a male-female strength duo that is much more tasteful (and better) than the pair they replaced. But a lot of the older material is still in place and much of it is downright vulgar.

That's one of the biggest disappointments for me about "Zumanity." Cirque has always delighted in the metaphorical, using vivid, often surreal imagery to create whatever atmosphere they're aiming for. Here, the metaphorical is often replaced by the literal, in effect telling the audience what to think and therefore removing the opportunity for us to find our own meanings.

Another example… the male dancers lounge onstage watching a football game on television while the female dancers attempt to get their attention through a series of strip club worthy gyrations. Yeah, men should pay more attention to their women - we get it. But couldn't there have been a less obvious way of saying that? And couldn't it have ended in a way that didn't involve the women basically turning themselves into the Girls of Glitter Gulch in order to drag their men's eyeballs away from the TV?

The show bills itself as a celebration of all forms of human sexuality and boy oh boy are there a lot of them included here. Men with women, women with women, masochism, auto-asphyxiation, self-gratification, orgies, certain… um… "devices" for lack of a better word… strippers, and costumes (French Maid anyone?) are just a few of diversions featured in the show.

Ultimately "Zumanity" fails by trying too hard to be provocative. The people and the things that are truly "sexy" don't need to work so hard to be that way - they just are. Catherine Zeta-Jones is sexy in a way that almost dares you to not look at her. Paris Hilton tries to be sexy by begging you to look at her and more often than not doesn't succeed.

Sex, if done properly, should be fun, exciting, creative, energetic, surprising, original, and involving. "Zumanity" is occasionally all of those things but never at the same time and certainly not for the duration of the 90-minute show.

Then again, when was the last time you were all of those things for 90-minutes?

On the other hand, when was the last time someone paid you $100 to be all of those things for 90-minutes?

Okay, we're straying into dangerous territory here.