Jubilee!

Girls, Girls Girls

By Kristine McKenzie

The showgirl is synonymous with Las Vegas and there's no show in town that glorifies showgirls quite like Jubilee! at Bally's.

It's obvious from the opening song about "Hundreds of Girls" that this show is going to be all about the statuesque, sequined beauties. While there aren't quite hundreds of girls in the show, there are about 85 performers -- both topless and covered.

However, if you are hoping to see the show and bring your family along there is one non-topless show at 7:30 p.m. every Saturday night.

The Jubilee! showgirls are everything you expect to see in a Vegas production show. Bob Mackie (think Cher's elaborate outfits) and Peter Menefee are the show's original costume designers. There are 1,000 different costumes in the show made with 8,000 miles of sequins. The rhinestones used on the costumes are silver-plated Swarovski crystals and the headpieces can weigh up to 35 pounds.

The rhinestones aren't the only things that make Jubilee! sparkle. Besides elaborate costumes, Jubilee! features some pretty elaborate production numbers as well. The massive stage is half the length of a football field and the sets weigh up to 4 tons. The show features technically complicated scenes including a Samson and Delilah number complete with the destruction of the temple and the show's signature number - the sinking of the Titanic.

In between the huge productions, Jubilee! is filled with singing, dancing and some entertaining specialty acts as well. Among the rotating cast of performers are the Long Twins -- two acrobats/contortionists who leave you wondering how it's humanly possible to bend and balance the way they do. Aerialists Stoyan & Dmitri dazzle audiences with their high-flying act and Los Huincas Argentinean Gauchos amaze the audience with their fast-paced drumming and boleadoras twirling.

Jubilee! closes with the requisite grand finale - a top hat and tails number paying tribute to Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. The act features a mammoth staircase with an endless parade of showgirls dressed in every hue imaginable descending it.

Jubilee! has been a Vegas staple since it opened in 1981 under the direction of Donn Arden, who first brought "Lido de Paris" to Vegas in 1959. "Lido" was one of the first topless shows in town and Arden certainly came up with a winning formula. If you're looking for classic Vegas, Jubilee! is the epitome of the topless production show.