Friday, October 18, 2002
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

National Pride

New exhibit at Madame Tussaud's capitalizes on patrons' desire for Americana

A new patriotic exhibit at Madame Tussaud's Celebrity Encounter in The Venetian may be made up only of faux figures, but it goes for real emotions.

"We've been asking our guests what they want to see here, and they all came out and wanted to see people who mean a lot to American freedom and the pioneering spirit," said general manager Russell Barnes. "We're more an emotional experience, we just use wax to deliver it."

"The Spirit of America" features full-size wax figures of presidents George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy and former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy, and George W. Bush.

The $2 million exhibit celebrates the first astronauts to walk on the moon, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, and pop culture icon John Wayne, complete with cowboy regalia.

And don't forget Diana, Princess of Wales.

Wait a minute. What's Princess Di doing in an exhibit celebrating America?

"It was a tough decision to put Princess Di in," Barnes said. "She demonstrated during her lifetime all of those things that fit the American ideal."

She also was one of the most requested additions by visitors to the museum.

Her figure was made from a sitting she did three months before her death and her dress is authentic.

Nearby, visitors can sign a book of condolences that will be sent to her estate.

Figures of Washington and Lincoln are set up on the right as visitors come into the exhibit room. They are placed before a large blowup of the United States Constitution. From a trunk at Washington's feet, guests can pull out a wig and place it on their heads.

In the corner, Wayne stands with a backdrop of film stills behind him and a hat rack with various styles that patrons can try on.

"It's not just about coming in and looking at the detail in the Wayne portrait, but what does John Wayne mean to you?" Barnes said.

To the left stand the Kennedys, wax figures that stir memories in some guests of where they were when the president was assassinated, Barnes said.

Past the Kennedys, Armstrong and Aldrin figures stand behind a mold of their actual footprints on the moon.

Aldrin will be at the museum Monday for a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially launch the room.

Meanwhile, the wax figure of Bush stands behind a lectern containing the text of his speech delivered Sept. 11, 2001, and behind him a large video screen displays images connected with the exhibit.

There are no ropes around the figures, Barnes said, because "we want people to have an emotional experience here."

"The Spirit of America" was designed to take that experience "to a new level," Barnes said. "We did take our time with this. It started with the surge of patriotism after the tragic events in New York City. It's not a tribute to 9/11."

It's the first new exhibit the museum has installed since it opened in July 1999.

So far, guests have given "an overwhelming response," Barnes said. "They say the hair on their arms stand up when President Bush gives the speech on the video."

On a recent visit to the museum, Grace Kashiwamura of Molokai, Hawaii, was impressed with the attention to detail.

"They look so real, especially Di," she said. "As if they're looking right at you. Jackie (Kennedy) with her half smile, it's perfect, just like she used to do it."

And John Upchurch of St. Louis said the room has a "different touch" than the rest of the museum. "I appreciate it," he said. "I think with the history involved, people need to see that."

Admission is $14.95 for adults, $12 for Nevada residents and seniors, and $9.95 for children 3-12.