Jubilee!, the eternal beauty of a female show in Las Vegas
Over the years, we have accustomed you to presenting rather masculine personalities who have influenced the history of Las Vegas over time. The time has come to tell you how, in the 1980s, female beauty was elevated to the art of revue by a female dance group (show girls) called Jubilee!
This spectacular revue show has been a Las Vegas Strip attraction for three and a half decades. It premiered on July 31, 1981, with an initial cost of $10 million, and was originally produced by Donn Arden. The show ended its successful 35-year run on February 11, 2016.
Jubilee
How it all began
The modern showgirl was not born in Las Vegas, but it was perfected there. The first costumes, productions, and even performers were imported from France. The first Las Vegas show, “Lido de Paris,” premiered at the Stardust Hotel in 1958. In 1959, “Folies Bergere” followed at the Tropicana.
The shows offered on stage represented the ultimate experience in modern entertainment: live orchestras, song and dance numbers, novel acts, and, of course, topless showgirls.
These shows had a special charm, glamour, and glitz, and for decades they became an integral part of the Las Vegas experience.
The incredible success of the first productions inspired several hotels along the Strip to start their own shows. Millions of tourists came to see the shows and stayed to gamble at the casinos. The Las Vegas economy flourished thanks to the girls in the variety shows.
The glory days of Jubilee!
In the 1980s, showgirls were a symbol of old Las Vegas. The new Vegas offered other forms of entertainment at that time. And yet Jubilee! carried on the banner of feminine elegance in Vegas. Choreographer and producer Donn Arden launched the show in 1981, bringing to the stage extravagant dance numbers and elaborate sets, such as those depicting the sinking of the Titanic and the biblical story of Samson and Delilah. The show used costumes created by Bob Mackie and Pete Menefee. There were 36 individual designs, each based on the precious hues of amethyst, sapphire, emerald, and ruby.
Fabulous feathered hats, costumes adorned with rhinestones, beautiful dancers with long legs (and often topless) – this was Jubilee. Jubilee was more than just a topless show. It was the only remaining showgirl production in Las Vegas.
Arden had already made his mark in Vegas when he produced one of the first showgirl shows, Lido de Paris, for the Las Vegas Strip in 1958, so he was a veteran in the field.
In 2014, Jubilee reopened after renowned director and choreographer Frank Gatson Jr. modernized the show. Gatson, who was the creative director for pop superstar Beyoncé, said he was careful to stay true to Arden’s vision while adding new dances, a narrative, and a motivational message.
The production featured approximately 100 dancers dressed in many of the classic costumes from the original show, moving and singing on a stage that was half the size of an American football field. The show was held at Ballys, at the Jubilee Theatre, and lasted 95 minutes. Tickets were priced between $71 and $137.
Donn Arden
Donn Arden was the man behind the magic of Jubilee!, Lido de Paris, Hallelujah Hollywood, and many other large-scale productions in Las Vegas, Paris, and Reno. His talent for placing dancers and showgirls in beautiful costumes on fantastic sets and creating captivating production numbers around historical events made him one of the masters of this genre. Together with his collaborator, Miss Bluebell (Margaret Kelly), Arden was responsible for creating magical Las Vegas memories for thousands, if not millions, of tourists who saw his shows at the Stardust, MGM, and Desert Inn. Costumes, sets, posters, programs, production notes, scores, correspondence, newspaper appearances, and many other documents illustrate his legendary career.
The Jubilee dancers!
Linda Green was the longest-serving principal dancer in the Jubilee! from the show’s premiere until her departure 23 years later. The final cast consisted of 3 singers, 3 male singers, 18 male dancers, 23 topless dancers, and 19 female dancers. The clothed and topless dancers were classified as “short” and “tall” dancers. A “short” dancer is a dancer between 173 cm and 175 cm tall, and a “tall” dancer is between 178 cm and 188 cm tall. It may have been surprising how tall the dancers were, given the proportions of the stage, which was three and a half stories high, giving the illusion that the performers were smaller in relation to the stage.
The 2024 American drama film The Last Showgirl, directed by Gia Coppola and starring Pamela Anderson as a Las Vegas dancer at the end of her career, is inspired by the history of Jubilee! The film also stars Jamie Lee Curtis and Dave Bautista.
Dancing shows in Las Vegas are no longer around, but fashion can always come back, and the vibrant evenings when gentlemen, but also ladies, attended a show where female beauty was crowned queen of the night can return to the Strip at any time.
Sources: Wikipedia, nevadamagazine.com, lasvegasconcierge.com, unlv.edu.
