Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
for three U.S. presidents and on numerous TV shows. If you're interested in see-
ing the last of this dying breed of entertainer, Lucas and his trunk full of oversized
puppets is your man. He does the classic “my dummy's a smart ass” routine with
varying degrees of success—sometimes it's quite amusing, other times less so. But
to see an audience member being turned into a living dummy—the highlight of
the show—is certainly worth the cost of admission. The show's a little too crude
for younger children but would be just fine for kids 10 and up.
GLITZ, GLAMOUR & EYELASH GLUE:
THE PRODUCTION SHOWS
Once upon a time, there were a dozen Vegas shows built around the simple act
of draping sequins and feathers on gorgeous showgirls. Only two survivors of
this genre exist today, as tittie shows have gone from this relative innocent play-
bill format to raunchier
Screw Magazine
-type entertainments (p. 199). But if
you'd like a topless show that you could (possibly) take your mother-in-law to,
you have two real choices:
Folies Bergere
5
(in the Tropicana;
%
800/829
-
9034;
www.tropicanalv.com;
$
66 box office,
$
26 discounted; Mon, Wed, Thurs, and Sat
7:30 and 10pm, Tues and Sat 8:30pm)
and
Jubilee!
5
(in Bally's;
%
800/237-
SHOW; www.harrahs.com;
$
65-
$
89, look out for twofers to cut these prices in
half; Sat-Thurs 7:30 and 10:30pm).
Both feature statuesque, real-looking women
(breast enhancements are frowned on at both); dazzling headdresses and cos-
tumes; full orchestras; and scores of dancers.
There the similarities end, though.
Jubilee!
was the first of the multi-million-
dollar extravaganzas in Vegas when it opened in 1981. Its cast numbers 100, 50
stagehands are required to move the colossal sets, and the costumes designed by
Bob Mackie (Cher's favorite designer) and Peter Menefee are so bespangled that
their creation sparked a worldwide rhinestone shortage (no joke). And it was such
a hit that the show was frozen for all time; what you see today is almost exactly
the same show—with different performers of course—that you would have seen
then (the only changes: Two short numbers were taken out).
That's both its lure and its curse, because, let's face it, the show was created in
an era when
Cats
was considered high art, and Michael Jackson a sex symbol. So
some of the numbers are snicker-into-your-program ridiculous, such as the over-
the-top restaging of the biblical Samson and Delilah story, complete with a top-
less Delilah and her g-string-clad male attendants; and the “let's all cha cha cha
until the ship starts to sink”
Titanic
scenes. In its defense, this all has a time warp
charm to it, with jugglers, strong men, and, of course, dozens of dance numbers;
and the costumes are still eye candy of the first degree. I found the backstage tour
(p. 171) to be as much fun, if not more, as the show, and highly recommend
doing both in tandem.
Classier, and thus less eccentric, the
Folies Bergere
is based on the Parisian
revue of the same name, though its claim to fame right now may be that one of
its featured showgirls, Janu Tornell, was the selfless
Survivor
contestant who quit
the game in 2005
(Survivor: Palau)
to give a more gung ho opponent, Stephanie,
