Tropicana is 70, the feathers, dancing and all girls

HAVANA - When the Tropicana nightclub and casino opened its doors in a lush garden in Havana, December 30, 1939, the Second World War raged in Europe: "Gone With the Wind" was the U.S. movie theaters and a young rebel named Fidel Castro was taken 13th straight So many things have changed in the 70 years that followed - but not the Tropicana show, which those who are willing to pay the price for a look at a heady time when Cuba is a playground Naughty America's Iceland, it offers a place where almost everything is possible and legal. The club celebrated its big anniversary this week with the same celebration of the glamorous and kitsch, of sin and sensuality, glitter, feathers, dance and Latin rhythms, which made him one of the world's most famous - and unfortunately Famous - nightclubs. In an extended Gala Clock Monday, about 850 tourists, government officials and special guests Watched Tropicana tributes to legends such as Nat King Cole and Rita Montaner and heard pulsating salsa, samba music and son. There was a big band, act a contortionist, an a cappella rendition of "The Banana Boat Song" and a two-man acrobatic team with skin-tight tights. And then there were the dancers. Showgirls butterfly expensive costumes, showgirls as Spanish matadors dressed showgirls sports crystal chandeliers wrong (with working lights) on the head, Gold and Silver Spangled string bikini on the corps. It was like he was always at the Tropicana, which as a piece of paradise under the stars. "Club" is a symbolic place that is known all over the world, "said Maria Elena Lopez, Cuban Vice Minister for Tourism, which has for the show." This is one of the most popular destinations in Cuba and important … it has no equal. "David Varela, director of the Tropicana was, since 2003, the association said a record 200,000 visitors in 2008 has attracted. He expects that to about 150,000 this fall to the decline in tourism amid the Great Depression and the porcupine global influenza pandemic. The club has a capacity of up to 1,500 people, although the normal capacity 850th tickets for the show cost $ 80 including lunch - and by far the most expensive night in Havana. The performances start at 10 clock and up late into the night. Club Tropicana is sta rted from Italo-Brazilian show biz s producer Victor Correa and two casino operators, but it later became famous over a decade, when under the influence of American gangster Meyer Lansky and Santo Trafficante Jr., was killed, with their big men Straw - the name talent and maids lush cabaret known worldwide as the "Goddess of the flesh." Among the stars who played on the main stage under a canopy of lush trees: Celia Cruz, Paul Robeson, Liberace, Orfelia Fox, Carmen Miranda and Yma Súmac. Number of nights the audience was equally famous. Marlon Brando, Sammy Davis Jr., Greta Garbo and other Hollywood stars arrived at the Tropicana, which is the ideal place to see and be seen. There was even a Cubana de Aviacion, with live music and a bar for patrons to Miami for the show and return early the next day. Shortly after the 1959 revolution of Fidel Castro to have the Tropicana and other famous Cuban hotels and casinos have been nationalized, and many gambling dens, brothels and strip clubs ever again. But bear the Tropicana - minus the gambling - Bonding with costumes, lights, cabaret dancers and the exorbitant prices that she founded, the same that Cuba has to sacrifice a new philosophy of communist uniformity, efficiency and adopted. Most of the patrons of the club have have always been deeply strange pockets, but with luck, Cubans can return at a reduced price, usually as a reward for excellence at work. The practice continued until the end of 2008, as President Raul Castro said that the cash-strapped government could no longer afford the subsidy and others like him. Attendance is down at the club, but Cuba's tourism industry is solid as a whole. The government recently said about 2.4 million tourists visit the island by the end of 2009 to make 3.3 per cent from the record high last year - when the whole industry broke revenue resulting from packs and travelers shorter stays. And large, despite the high price and 70 - year-old law, which still attracts a lot of Tropicana is enough. "I could not travel to Cuba, without seeing, the Tropicana said Italian tourist Antonio Conti, 47, who was at the show with his wife and some friends, all clapped and shouted along with the rest of the audience." To to miss it would be impossible. "