Liberace museum strives to keep its sparkle after 30 years

It might be the cheesiest overnight bag in existence, a PVC and satin duffel splashed with a photo of Liberace taking a bubble bath.

It certainly gets some looks when Darin Hollingsworth uses it, which he does, often. So often, in fact, that he needs to replace it. But if carrying this loud man-purse into airports and hotels gives him the opening he needs to spread the word about Liberace, then it's well worth any hit his cool factor may take.

"I do it to be the ambassador for the organization," says Hollingsworth, president of the Liberace Foundation since 2006.

It's tough to keep the image of the entertainer, showman, philanthropist and musician alive, especially when the man himself is dead, but the foundation has a strong marketing tool in the form of the Liberace Museum. The big trick is getting people into the museum, which celebrates its 30th anniversary Wednesday.

About 50,000 people tour the museum annually, says museum director Tanya Combs. The people who come through watched Liberace on television, saw him in concert, or heard the museum is a fun attraction, she adds.

Then there are those people who know Liberace, with his bejeweled costumes, larger-than-life jewelry and penchant for flashy shows, as the king of Las Vegas kitsch.

Liberace performed in Las Vegas for the first time in 1944, playing the piano at the Last Frontier Hotel. He dubbed himself Mr. Showmanship in 1956 during an engagement at the Riviera, and made Las Vegas his official residence.

He represented a style of entertainment that became associated with Las Vegas, says Jeff Koep, dean of the College of Fine Arts at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Koep served five years as chairman of the board for the Liberace Foundation before becoming a regular board member recently.

Liberace was so good at being a showman that people forgot he was an accomplished pianist, Koep notes.

"One of our problems the foundation has faced has been to try and educate people about Liberace's contributions" to entertainment, Koep says. "The question has been, as a board, how do we sort of rebrand and refreshen his image? That's a difficult thing to do, to try and get attention over someone who is no longer alive."

The museum is the obvious answer, as Liberace's life represents several decades of entertainment history.

Liberace opened the museum in 1979, three years after establishing his foundation for helping students of the arts. It gave fans the opportunity to see the clothes, cars, jewels and other trappings that Liberace used during his shows, while helping to fund the scholarships awarded by the foundation, Hollingsworth says. All proceeds from the museum still support the foundation's mission. So far, 2,500 scholars have received $5.2 million in awards.

Liberace was famous for his elaborate costumes covered in beads, jewels, sequins and fur. He wore capes that were sometimes taken offstage in Rolls-Royces, and flashed huge rings and jewels to his audiences, asking: "Do you want to see them? You paid for them."

Over the years, the museum hasn't changed much, Combs says. It expanded in 2002 to include the museum's original small building on the corner of Tropicana Avenue and Spencer Street and part of the strip mall behind it. His cars, pianos, clothes and jewels remain on display.

It's the people who have changed. His fans are aging -- Liberace's heyday was during the 1950s, '60s and '70s -- and there's not much beyond some YouTube videos and the museum to expand his fan base.

The board is trying to define the museum's future, Hollingsworth says. The important thing is to get people to come through the doors. In an effort to attract more locals, the museum started Second Sunday, a promotional day in which locals can tour the museum for free, the second Sunday of every month.

As for reaching an audience beyond Las Vegas? Hollingsworth wouldn't offer specifics, but hinted at a touring collection.

"Wouldn't it be great if Liberace went on tour again?" he asks.

Contact reporter Sonya Padgett at spadgett@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4564.