The Liberace Museum
Las Vegas, Nevada
The wacky and surrealistic Liberace Museum in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada is a monument to excess, a flamboyant, gaudy, over-the-top adult Disneyland. It is for this reason that the Liberace Museum is perfectly at home there, a palace in the desert built in honor of the Sultan of Kitsch himself. Unlike stars such as Elvis (Presley, not Costello), the Liberace Museum is not located in any of the homes he owned – his last house in Las Vegas is currently privately owned, and hopefully renovated to no longer resemble a fatal explosion resulting from a battle between Louis XIV and P. T. Barnum. It is about a mile and a half off The Strip, but if you don’t have transportation, you need not worry – a courtesy van lavishly emblazoned with Liberace’s image on it and “Free Shuttle to the Liberace Museum” plastered across the side will cheerfully pick you up at your hotel; dark sunglasses and a hat help to ease the embarrassment. As you pull up to the museum, any urge to ask the driver, “Are we there yet?” will be curtailed by the sight of the entrance in a building that was undoubtedly the joint effort of the famed architectural team of Salvador Dali and Dr. Seuss.
A World War II-era piano Liberaceated
I’m confident that if you’ve boarded the shuttle and arrived at the museum, you will be wondering what you’ve gotten yourself into. Born Wladziu Valentino Liberace in 1919, Liberace developed his grandiose persona over the years into the figure so familiar to those who weren’t even born during his heyday. Because of his ostentatious appearance, stage presence and sideshow antics, Liberace was a frequent object of ridicule, but he was the consummate showman and knew how to play to an audience, garnering a die-hard following. Liberace makes Elton John look like a Wall Street banker, but he was in fact a big influence on Elton John’s stage personality. As you start through the museum, you discover that Liberace showed considerable talent as a child, and although he was often scorned by his contemporaries and panned by classical music critics for having a casual and careless attitude about the classics that he re-interpreted, there was no doubt that he was a talented (if not showy) musician. His accomplishments are impressive, but hard to see from the blinding light reflected off his sequined cars, rhinestone and diamond studded costumes and mirror-tiled pianos, all of which are prominently displayed. One room is devoted to his costumes some that would put a Vegas showgirl to shame. Mink, diamonds, platinum, ostrich and peacock feathers, sequins – you name it, he wore it. In the middle of the room, a glass case holds what is billed as “the world’s largest rhinestone”.
Some sort of crazy bird
Some of the pianos on display look like musical mirror balls, yet he also collected rare and historic instruments that he often played at concerts and on television specials. The cars on display also feature custom, rare and vintage automobiles, most decked out in true Liberace style. As you pass through the museum, you learn that for an extra $15 or so, you can attend an intimate concert in the cabaret by pianist interpreting Liberace’s music or playing “in the style of Liberace”, but since these performances do not incorporate the lavish stage show or recreate Liberace in tribute format, it’s a better bet to pick up one of the many DVDs available in the gift shop. Of course, the cabaret does feature new and original composers and musicians who perform works on one of Liberace’s mirrored grand pianos, but these are not part of the tour. Liberace has gone on to play the great piano in the sky (not the one on top of the museum) for almost 25 years now, but his larger-than-life personality still fascinates and draws people to the museum. It’s hard to keep from smirking at the garish excess of his glittery trappings, but when you dig down to Liberace’s talent as a performer and musician, you can’t help coming out of the museum with a little more respect and admiration than when you walked through doors. The museum isn’t too far removed from Graceland or Neverland Ranch, and showcases the talent and legacy of a flamboyant showman who undoubtedly influenced glam rockers like David Bowie, Gary Glitter and Elton John, and probably even Lady Gaga. It’s certainly worth an hour or two of your free time in Sin City, and don’t worry about the embarrassment of your friends finding out – what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.
The Liberace Museum
1775 E. Tropicana Avenue
Las Vegas, NV 89119
GPS coordinates: 36°5’57.93″N 115°7’42.58″W
Of all the times I have visited Las Vegas, I have never ventured to the museum. I believe next time it will be on top of the list. A fine review.
It also doesn’t hurt that the Museum is right next to some delicious sandwiches with a jimmy johns sandwiches chain a block or two up the road.
It doesn’t look like Jimmy Johns can save the museum; they’re announced that they’re closing their doors on October 17 due to lack of interest. They’ll be doing a touring exhibit, and mothball the rest in case at some point in the future they might be able to reopen. It’s worth a trip by if for no other reason to see the crazy architecture at the main entrance; I wish them luck.