It's 5:10 p.m., and the lights are flashing on the Jubilee! stage. Not the 40,000 bulbs that illuminate the set of Donn Arden's smashing spectacle, but the freestanding beacons that indicate the crew is conducting its daily stage elevator safety checks. (Which also sends a clear signal that something dazzling is about to happen in the Jubilee! Theater.)
With her hair wrapped in a towel, showgirl Jane Zuniga sat before her mirror and applied her eyeliner. "If you draw the line below your lower lid and fill in the gap with white makeup, it makes your eyes look bigger," said Zuniga, who has been a dancer all her life. "I'd say this is a dream job. I'm doing something that I love with all my heart."
Two minutes prior to curtain, Zuniga and the rest of the Jubilee! girls pull on their tights and fasten their jeweled bikinis. From another dressing room, the dancing nudes appear and take their places on the circular stage lift, some of them chatting, others securing their hats, until the very moment the elevator raises them up on deck to reveal the thousand people in the audience.
The sheer size of Jubilee! commands that the 170-member cast and crew move about backstage swiftly and orderly, despite the dim lighting. Considering this spectacular's magnitude, it's not surprising to discover that the Jubilee! stage measures half the size of a football field and 15 stories tall from the bottom of the orchestra pit to the roof.
Last year, the unmistakably glamorous production flew past the 10 million-guest milestone, wowing crowds with its 85 beautiful performers, extraordinary sets and vibrant Bob Mackie costumes. Could it be time to see for yourself?