What a grind.

AFTER a few naughty steps over the last couple of years, L.A., it appears, is fully embracing the bawdy entertainment of yesteryear.

Spurred by shows at a couple of Hollywood nightclubs and emboldened by the success of films like "Moulin Rouge" and "Chicago," vaudeville and burlesque acts are making a comeback.

"People are getting tired of reality television," said Richard Maritzer, who co-founded Sound & Fury, a vaudevillian trio that parodies Shakespeare, adding modern twists. "This was the biggest form of entertainment 70 years ago, until radio killed it. People want a fun night out that's different from stand up comedy."

The recent revival in vaudeville, according to Maritz, is riding on the coattails of the resurgence in popularity of naughty, kinky, but not pornographic burlesque. "Everyone loves everything retro, Maritz said. 'But sex sells, so burlesque got really popular and took vaudeville and variety arts, like juggling and fire eating with it."

And don't forget old-fashioned titillation. The Henry Fonda Theater in Hollywood will host the Tease-a-Rama Burlesque Convention on Oct. 10 and 11. The gathering will feature striptease trapeze and pasty making classes, panel discussions on the history of striptease and performances.

Amber Ray Cutting, a burlesque performer and former stripper who will be traveling from New York to give the Tease-a-Rama's opening performance, attributes the renewed popularity of burlesque to the sterile nature of modern entertainment.

"It's just not visceral anymore," Cutting said. "People come into burlesque with huge attitudes, and women can express themselves no matter what size they are."