Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
end, a frameable painting, I think the price is justified. Couples can save by join-
ing
Las Vegas Advisor
(p. 183) for $37 and then using one of LVA's two-for-the-
price-of-one coupons on this tour, reducing the cost per person to $118 per
person, rather than $200.
HOW VEGAS RESIDENTS WORK
Sure, there are janitors, nurses, and lawyers in Vegas, but there are also those with
much more glamorous, sometimes odd-ball, jobs. If you'd like to find out what
it's like to do one of these jobs, and meet the people who perform them, try the
following Other Vegas Experiences.
HOPE (AND SHOWGIRLS) IS THE THING
WITH FEATHERS
Male or female, gay or straight, you gotta admit that it's a thrill to meet an actual
showgirl. It's the quintessential Vegas experience, akin to chatting with a geisha in
Kyoto or a matador in Barcelona. And when you take the
Jubilee!
Backstage
Tour
(Jubilee Theater in Bally's;
$
15 without a
Jubilee!
ticket,
$
10 with; tour lim-
ited to those 13 and older; Mon, Wed, and Sat 2pm; AE, DISC, MC, V),
you not
only meet one of these fabled creatures—they're the guides!—but you learn all
about their lives and the over-the-top production,
Jubilee!,
that has kept showgirls
in feathers for the past 25 years. When it debuted in 1981, it was the most expen-
sive production ever mounted in Vegas, with a price tag of $10 million (at a time
when a half a million was the standard cost for a production show). A full $2.5
million of that went just into the costumes; their creation sparked (gasp!) a world-
wide shortage in rhinestones.
In the course of the tour, you'll climb up and down the many stairs the dancers
traverse each and every show (because dressing rooms are in the basement, the
performers go up and down 8,000-9,000 steps per show); descend into the bowels
of the basement to view the truck-sized elevators that whisk huge set pieces into
place in 30 seconds or less; and stroll the dressing rooms and workshops to visit
the magnificent costumes designed by Bob Mackie and Pete Menifee. That's the
photo op moment, as you'll be allowed to try on a retired headdress (though not
Delilah's, as that weighs 25 lb., is 2 ft. tall, and requires more than a little train-
ing just to keep on one's head).
The big question on most visitors' minds: How realistic was that cult classic,
the Elizabeth Berkeley movie
Showgirls
(which was based on
Jubilee!
)? The answer:
kinda close. Nobody has ever become a star as a Vegas showgirl, of course, but the
backstabbing and jostling for position is common (or so our guide implied, but
never said). You'll also find out what a difficult life these performers lead. They
must re-audition for their roles every 6 months (competing against dancers in
New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Orlando, as simultaneous auditions are tak-
ing place in those cities); they must maintain the exact same weight they had
when they were hired; and their pay is so miserly that many work second jobs on
top of the twelve shows a week here. At the end, you'll feel like you've not only
met a showgirl but a real Wonder Woman of sorts. And to be blunt: The tour is
much more interesting than the show itself (p. 190), so if you're looking for that
Vegas showgirl experience, but on a budget, this is the way to go.
