Nevada State Museum Las Vegas opens new ‘showgirl’ exhibit

Women’s costume sketch for Jubilee! by Pete Menefee MGM Grand Hotel/Bally’s Las Vegas, Nevada, 1981-2016 Act V. Scene 1 : Titanic; The Pier of the White Star Liner.

LAS VEGAS, Nevada – Bally’s Las Vegas’ signature showgirl show, “Jubilee,” has been dark since 2016 – following a 35-year run, but the Nevada State Museum Las Vegas is intent on keeping the show’s memory alive by way of a few new exhibitions.

In June, the Nevada State Museum, Las Vegas opened a new permanent exhibit space in their famous “Showgirl Wall” that displays original “Jubilee,” design renderings alongside the realized stage costumes. This exhibit provides an awareness of the behind-the-scenes artisans responsible for dreaming up the extravagant designs that were once seen on the Jubilee stage.

This month, the museum’s newest exhibit titled “The Artistry of Pete Menefee, Costume Design for the Jubilee Stage,” further showcases Menefee’s unique costume design artworks created for the iconic production.

Recently, the State Museum acquired Menefee’s costume design artworks that were executed in 2012 for the revision to the show’s much-loved “Titanic” number. These sketches are welcome additions to the Museum’s performance costume collection and serve to round out the comprehensive Pete Menefee archive.

“Jubilee is still regarded as one of the most lavish and expensive cabaret shows ever to grace the Las Vegas Strip or even the world stage,” said Karan Feder, the museum’s guest curator of costume & textiles. “The specialized skilled hands of the varied artisans involved with the execution of the production are worthy of legitimate acknowledgement and study.”

“The Artistry of Pete Menefee, Costume Design for the Jubilee Stage,” includes costume design artworks created for the pre-fire and post-fire editions of Jubilee as well as the revision-editions mounted in 1996 and 2012.

The exhibit will be on view through Sunday, September 1, 2019.

The exhibit is free with admission or Museum membership.

The Nevada State Museum Las Vegas is located at 309 S. Valley View Boulevard, Las Vegas, on the Springs Preserve campus. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday.