The costumes were selected not because they were topless but because they were integral components of those shows and in many cases are classic showgirl designs. This exhibit contains a few topless costumes, primarily from the finale of Donn Arden’s show Jubilee! (still running at Bally’s Hotel), Matt Gregory’s Pony Express, and Harold Minsky’s Thoroughly Modern Minsky.
The female figures are stylized models whose forms reveal the kinetic and theatrical properties of the costume. In the context of this exhibit the object is the costume, not the woman wearing it. Nudity is an aspect of the theatrical history of Las Vegas, and it would be a misrepresentation of that history to ignore topless showgirls and their costumes. The drawings exhibited here illustrate the shows and productions that epitomize Las Vegas.
