By Sergio Giral
When one goes to a cabaret, one normally doesn’t get a look backstage. And many wouldn’t want to, thinking it might spoil the magic of the show. But we decided to take a look at this small and secret space behind the curtain at Club Tropigala in Miami Beach and were instantly plunged into a world of feathers, sequins, lame and tinsel. ‘‘Close the door, I’m getting dressed!,’’ yelled a young dancer from her dressing room when Exito photographer Felipe Cuevas tried to take her picture.

So we beat a fast retreat until the young ladies were a bit more presentable. ‘‘A lot of them are married or have children or boyfriends and they don’t don’t want indiscreet photos,’’ said Juan de la Portilla, the Tropigala’s artistic ditrector. The boys are less inhibited but they still want to know what the pictures are for. They are Joel Mejía, Manuel Castro, Laverne Washington and Victor Báez.

Behind the curtain, de la Portilla makes his rounds to make sure everything will be allright for the show. ‘‘If there’s a torn costume, we call the seamstress. If someone is missing, we get a replacement,’’ he explained. ‘‘The first thing they do is put on their make-up and then their costumes,’’ said de la Portilla. ‘‘Costume changes are very fast and many of them have to be done on stage because there’s no time to go back to the dressing rooms. If something doesn’t go right, we deal with it at the next rehearsal.’’ There’s no question it’s a hard job, said de la Portilla.

‘‘It’s harder than doing theater, because there, people pay to see the show and here they are eating and drinking and the reception the performers get from the public is different,’’ he said. Many of the people in the show work during the day at a variety of jobs which have nothing to do with show business and some are students. Although the shows are on week-ends, rehearsals take place during the week, so it requires a lot of dedication,’’ said de la Portilla. De la Portilla was one of the founding members of the Ballet Nacional de Cuba. He danced flamenco with the Spanish troupe Cabalgata. In the United States, he worked with Xavier Cougat and his orchestra, Peggy Lee and Erick Wilson. Prior to coming to Tropigala, he was artistic director at Les Violins.

When we were finally allowed into the girls’ dressing room, Sisi Lobato, Eliset Lobato, Belinda, Indiara Catramby, Katty Clark, Taymi Olivera and Lucia Sanabria all looked like they had been transformed into birds of paradise by the wand of a very imaginative fairy godmother. Close-up, the heavy theatrical make-up, intended to be seen from a distance, made these beautiful girls look like Egyptian goddesses. Through the curtains, one could hear the orchestra warming up. Then the girls burst out of the dressing room through the labyrynthine hallways that lead to the stage.

The curtain goes up and its on with the show, The Magic of Music, directed by Eber Lobato. The show takes place on a historic stage. In the 50’s and 60’s, when The Tropigala was known as the La Ronde Room, Frank Sinatra was the first to tread the boards, followed by the likes of Sammy Davis Jr., Ann Miller, and Tony Bennet. In more recent years, The Tropigala has become a mecca for the most important Latin stars, starting with its inaugural show with Julio Iglesias and Paloma San Basilio ten years ago.

Since then, the room has hosted artists like Roberto Carlos, Enrique Iglesias, Gloria Estefan, Juan Gabriel, Vicky Carr, Raphael, Emmanuel, José Luis Rodríguez ‘‘El Puma,’’ Dyango, Camilo Sesto, Julio Sabala, José José, Olga Guillot and many others. Built on four different levels, the room offers a view of the stage from every table. The show’s ten piece orchestra also does double duty playing dance music for guests.

The Tropigala’s retro glamour has drawn various Hollywood art directors, who have staged scenes here for such films as The Bodyguard and Just Cause. After the show, off come the costumes and the brilliant make-up disappears under swipes of cold cream. Everything is back to normal and the chorus boys and girls go back to their day jobs. Until the next time.

El Club Tropigala is at the Fontainebleau Hilton Hotel, with shows Wednesday through Sunday at 9:30 p.m., 4441 Collins Avenue, Miami Beach, 672-7469.