Las Vegas Road Trip: Day Two

Feb 16, 2005- Permalink

We decided to start Day Two by getting a look at the Strip and the neighbouring properties. Across from the New Frontier, the Wynn Las Vegas is nearing completion. The massive $2.7 billion casino/resort is the brainchild of Steve Wynn, the developer behind Las Vegas landmarks like Treasure Island, Mirage and Bellagio.

Our walk down the Strip took us past Treasure Island, the Mirage, the Venetian, Harrah’s and Caesars Palace before we ended up at Bally’s. We were there to pick up our tickets for that night’s show, Donn Arden’s Jubilee. After getting our Row A seats, we hit the casino and I managed to win $16 playing a Rocky slot machine. Of course, I was merely borrowing that money — Las Vegas was sure to get it back.

After dinner, we headed back to Bally’s to take in Jubilee in the 1040 seat showroom. The long-running show features roughly a hundred singers and dancers and is everything you’d expect in a no-expenses spared Vegas showgirls extravaganza. As theatre nuts, the two of us were just as impressed by the mechanics behind the show as we were by the dazzling performers. The show requires about 70 stagehands to run things behind the scenes and that’s no mean feat. The show features 100 different sets and backdrops, approximately 40,000 light bulbs, and over 125 miles of wiring. The stage is 190 feet in length, 73 feet deep and 15 stories tall from the bottom of the orchestra pit to the roof. Three main double-decker elevators, each with 100,000-pound lift capacity, work alongside six small elevators and two revolving elevators that are used in various scenes to lift dancers and sets.

All that technical wizardry would mean nothing if the show wasn’t stunning. After opening with a 16 minute $3 million number that features most of the shows fantastic dancers and statuesque showgirls, we go through six more acts that include numbers that end with events as diverse as Sampson’s destruction of a temple and the sinking of the Titanic. The show is a feast for the eyes and ears.

Jubilee Show Times: Saturday – Thursday 7:30 pm & 10:30 pm Call 1-800-237-SHOW for tickets and more information.