The thrilling conclusion of a two-part profile on OPM’s resident strongman.
Editor’s note – Click HERE to read part one of this profile.
Do you think it’s easy being a Las Vegas entertainer? Of course, you don’t. We’re all aware of the hard work, dedication, and physical effort it requires for performers to take to the stage on a nightly basis, devoting every bit of energy to their craft. Whether the tools of the trade are sleight of hand, vocal cords, or powerful muscles, being stage-ready is a 24/7 commitment.
Great Britain’s Jack Cameron Atherton is a mountain of strength, charm, and talent. His sculptured physique is the result of a lifetime of hard work and great choices. If you’ve seen his “The Fooking Lads” act with partner Tiago Figueiredo in Spiegelworld‘s OPM, you know what I mean. The duo’s hand-balancing skills are so epic that they’re the closing act of the production. It brings the audience to its feet each and every time.
Now in his twelfth month as a Sin City resident, Atherton has been careful not to fall into a pattern of pubs and clubs. Instead, it’s usually a solid night’s sleep after coming down from the adrenaline high of back-to-back OPM shows. “I don’t want to get lost in the Vegas party lifestyle. When I first arrived, I enjoyed the social thing, but it’s really not my scene. I recently did “Sober October” and didn’t miss it.”
Every morning, Jack starts the day with a plunge. Literally. He and his colleagues are advocates of cold baths. The trendy hydrotherapy technique goes back for centuries. Athletes and lay people use it to reduce inflammation and increase mental focus. It’s also associated with building immunity, improving the cardiac and lymphatic systems, and amplifying stress management.
Wayne Skivington (ABSINTHE) and Jack Atherton take the plunge
When he first arrived in town, Jack took his cold plunges at the home of longtime friend and colleague Wayne Skivington. The ABSINTHE performer constructed an elaborate fitness facility on his property. There, fellow performers and clients can reach their peak physical condition. During the pandemic, Skivington and Atherton collaborated on an online training program before they were united in the States.
“I initially went to Wayne’s a lot when I first arrived. Then you find your way around and meet different people. I bought a gym membership…the facilities are quite good. (But) you don’t want to invade someone’s personal life consistently and shoot the shit every day for two hours. Not like Wayne has a problem with it…we’re still best friends for sure.”
Wayne and Jack revisit their act years later
“Every morning normally starts with an ice bath at my pool. I awake with one eye open and struggle through five minutes of cold therapy. I normally don’t eat breakfast, just take my creatine and supplements, and go straight to the gym.”
Backstage pumps ensure onstage aesthetics
Strict discipline is part of Jack’s daily ritual, but on non-performance days, there’s usually room for some recreation. “I do training-training, a seriously intense gym session, at least five days a week. Otherwise, it’s a little of everything just to keep oil on the machine. Days off (from OPM) are pretty flexible, hanging with friends or whatever. Last week, I went climbing around Red Rock for a couple of hours.”
“Tiago and I train at least one of my days off at the Circus Center.” The expansive facility is home base for dozens of the city’s athletic performers. While rehearsing to keep their OPM act polished, Jack often finds himself adding to his talents or coaching friends who want to do the same.
To shake things up, Jack will sometimes utilize the fitness and aquatic facilities at Cosmopolitan Resort, where OPM performs five nights a week. “We have full access to the hotel’s gym and pool whenever it’s open. It’s actually very, very good.” One thing he won’t indulge in on performance days, though, is the hotel’s world-class restaurants.
“I have a bit of a rule. I don’t like to eat or drink anything past three or four pm, depending on my schedule. My job is to perform topless, and you don’t want to feel bloated with a “food baby”. You have to be under the lights looking chiseled. It’s nothing they tell me to do. I take it on myself. After two shows, I eat like it’s out of fashion, so it’s like a 12-hour fast.”
On this particular day, the lads were rushing to OPM from a daytime gig – rehearsing for a special show during November’s inaugural Las Vegas Formula One. Along with colleagues from other productions like Atomic Saloon Show, Jack and Tiago would be providing entertainment for guests at the Mercedes-Benz Team Club. The well-publicized traffic nightmare of F1 preparation provided additional challenges, but the lads made it in time for my interview with Jack.
“I usually arrive around six. Show call is six-thirty, but I like to arrive early. There’s usually some rehearsal going on, so I’ll pop my head in and do general niceties. I think that’s always nice in the workplace. Obviously, I’m a very social person and I like to keep it that way.”
“In terms of preparation, this is some hot gossip. I have really blonde eyebrows, especially in the sun. So I put mascara on them to make them darker. I’ll fix my hair, trim my beard line, and shave whatever needs to be shaved. It’s all about aesthetics and looking your best.”
“At 7 pm on the dock, Tiago and I always do five-minute handstands. Warm things up against the wall just outside the green room, open our shoulders, We get our muscles used to being there with weight on. Then I go in, wait for the call, and rock and roll!”
“The Fooking Lads” bring the crowd to its feet
After our conversation above the casino, Jack took me through the theater and backstage. There I got to meet wardrobe staff, production assistants, and performers already stretching and warming up. He showed me backstage props and around the men’s dressing room. A separate shower is nearby to remove a special skin coating that enables Jack and Tiago to defy the laws of gravity without slipping.
Outside of the dressing room, bulletin boards display vital information. An intricate “map” details acts that will take place in the evening’s shows, along with those at the adjacent SUPERFICO Restaurant and Ski Lodge speakeasy (both operated by Spiegelworld as well).
SUPERFRICO is more than just dining. Guests are treated to “superfeats”, seemingly spontaneous bursts of live entertainment through the dining room and bar areas. Many superfeats are performed by OPM characters, meaning they have to crisscross between the two venues through an intricately-timed schedule.
David Burtka and Neil Patrick Harris visit OPM
“It’s a pain in the ass, I’d imagine, to do that job (scheduling). We have a SUPERFRICO stage management team that’s listening to what’s going on with the show. They have a rough draft, but some days people are in or out and they have to adjust accordingly. It’s a machine…not a job I envy for sure.”
OPM cast takes a bow at the end of the show
With back-to-back OPM shows and pop-up performances in between, Jack will have spent nearly six hours on a physical and adrenaline high. Five nights a week, he might encounter superstars in the audience or backstage, moments that his younger, small-town self never dreamed of. After a hearty late-night meal, he’ll go to bed and start it all over the next morning.
Such is the life of a Las Vegas performer. Jack Cameron Atherton wouldn’t have it any other way.
