Las Vegas Weekly

July 31, 2009 · 8:16 AM

Jubilee!, the Strip’s longest-running show, celebrates 28 years

By Robin Leach

The Travelocity gnome makes a new friend backstage at Donn Arden's Jubilee! in Bally's.

Photo: Harrah's

Glitz, glamour and glitter are synonymous with classic Las Vegas and also with the extravaganza Jubilee! that officially celebrates its 28th anniversary this weekend. Congratulations to cast, crew and officials at Bally’s, where the show has entertained more than 11 million guests.

The near-three-decade-long production of gorgeous showgirls, lavish costumes from Bob Mackie and Pete Menefee, dazzling scenery, dynamic music, topless pageantry in feathers and sequins and world famous specialty acts was conceived, staged and directed by the legendary and late Donn Arden, who first brought the French-styled, long-running revue Lido de Paris to Las Vegas.

Those 85 stunning showgirls in the cast have been featured on TV shows including The Tyra Banks Show and NBC’s Today. The elaborate production is performed twice nightly, and three times a week there’s a backstage tour for a limited number of guests. You’ll see how “the sinking of the Titanic” happens and how the stage nearly falls apart in the Samson and Delilah act.

Photo: Steve Fenn

The cast of Jubilee!, shown here with Whoopi Goldberg during The View's visit earlier this year, is experimenting with a "covered" performance.

Every January and July, the show has auditions for new singers and dancers to stay fresh and to shine brighter than the rhinestones on the costumes, particularly for the Cole Porter, George Gershwin and Ziegfeld Follies finale. With this year’s closing of Folies Bergere at the Tropicana, Jubilee! is now the only showgirl production still standing that keeps sexy and classic Las Vegas alive.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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