Beyond the Velvet Rope, With the Bumps and Grinds After serving as a Russian nightclub for the original incarnation of "Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812," Ars Nova has undergone another extravagant transformation, this time into a velvet-swathed house of neo-burlesque called the Tim Tam Room. And anyone hankering for the glory days of va-va-voom striptease artistes in G-strings and twirling pasties will get more for their money in the preshow before "Eager to Lose" than most productions deliver in a two-act evening. Slip a dollar or two into the "shimmy machine" (actually an ice bucket), and one of the resident entertainers, Trixie Von Vixen (Stacey Yen), will show you moves and skin aplenty. The play proper, written by Matthew-Lee Erlbach in rhyming couplets no less, is presided over by an affably insinuating M.C. (John Behlmann), who encourages the crowd to be vocal in its approval whenever the girls bump and grind. Chief among them is Tansy, played by the singing burlesque performer of the same name, who also choreographed the show and is one of its creators, along with Mr. Erlbach and the directors, Wes Grantom and Portia Krieger. A sultry beauty in the Dita Von Teese mold, Tansy causes unrest when she announces she's quitting the boîte to run off with none other than David Schwimmer. The lovelorn M.C. groans, "The light in my soul couldn't grow any dimmer." As Tansy agonizes over her own unexpressed feelings for him, the M.C. sets about making his affections known, enlisting his mute, miming sidekick Peeps (Richard Saudek) as an emissary. But complications ensue, thanks to bungled plans, mistaken identities and the scheming of ruthless Trixie and Glinda Glitterbaby (Emily Walton), the rival to inherit Tansy's Tim Tam throne. If all this sounds like the frothiest of farcical mock-Shakespearean cocktails, it is - right down to a vial of poison and a soupçon of cross-dressing. While the play is peppered with dulcet profanities, jokey "Friends" references (Mr. Schwimmer does not actually appear) and even a stirring Bon Jovi citation, its mirth threatens to wear thin in the longer stretches between musical interludes. Thankfully, those are a hoot, including a Turkish fan dance and a nautical number, backed by a rousing four-piece band. Some of Mr. Erlbach's rhymes might make Stephen Sondheim's ears bleed, but the gleeful spirit of the show is hard to resist, as are its saucy entertainers. While overextended in one virtuoso sequence, Mr. Saudek's elaborate mime antics are fun. And when Tansy and the M.C. strip not for the audience but for each other, it warms away the goose bumps of a crisp fall night.