Liberace was once a ubiquitous presence in Las Vegas. At the height of his fame, he had the most in-demand residency at the resort on Paradise Avenue now owned and operated by Westgate Las Vegas. He held court at his own restaurant at the Liberace Plaza on Tropicana Avenue, which also housed the Liberace Museum. Both venues would eventually close, but the Liberace Foundations’s collection of clothes, cookbooks, memorabilia and more lives on at the Nevada State Museum inside Springs Preserve via Liberace: Real and Beyond.
The exhibit, which runs through Dec. 31, opened a little more than three years after centennial observations of Liberace’s birthday. He first performed in Las Vegas in 1944, but by the time he began playing the Riviera in 1955, he was a pop-culture phenomenon, having gone from performing at hotel chains and Hollywood supper clubs to films and his own television series. Along the way, the classically trained pianist shed highbrow pretensions and learned to play to the masses, taking showmanship to places it had never been before.
That included tickling the ivories of ornate pianos and being wheeled onstage in dazzling vehicles. His interest in cooking led to publishing books, examples of which are included at Liberace: Real and Beyond. Candelabras, religious items, art, personal effects and sparkling accoutrements and wardrobe items he was famous for are on display.
Plans for the restaurant to reopen are under way, and the museum collection is currently exhibited at five locations in Las Vegas. Liberace’s legacy was celebrated in mid-May with a Liberace Week highlighted by a preview of producer Jeff Kutash’s new show Glitz, a Las Vegas spectacular about the star. It took place at Coop’s Cabaret inside Las Vegas’ venerable Commercial Center, bordered on the south by a street leading to Liberace Avenue.
Liberace’s presence is still palpable in Las Vegas, but through Dec. 31, it’s possible to see his sequins of success in person, courtesy of Nevada State Museum.
Nevada State Museum, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Thurs.-Mon., $18.95 adults, $10.95 age 3-17, free age 2 and under, 309 S. Valley View Blvd., lasvegasnvmuseum.org
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