“Too much of a good thing is wonderful,” Liberace famously said. And in the town that thrives on excess more than any in the world, Las Vegas, the flamboyant pianist known as Mr. Showmanship knew how to live. As his massive mansion gets closer to being turned into the museum he deserves by the Liberace Foundation for the Performing and Creative Arts, Hologram USA is creating of a full length live show staring the sequined maestro in hologram form, Carolyn Giardina at The Hollywood Reporter broke today.
The show will be the first of its kind: a fully staged, full length show featuring Liberace, who was born Władziu Valentino Liberace in 1919 and died in 1987 at the age of 67, as opposed to a one off stunt. Alki David, CEO of Hologram USA, said that it will be a long running show in Las Vegas that will roll out across the nation, and even globally.
“This is a major step in the evolution of this medium for entertainment,” David said in a statement. “With our partners at the Liberace Foundation we’ll be able to stage a show so lifelike — the room will be filled with all of the great singer’s charm and charisma.”
Said Jonathan Warren, chairman of the Foundation, “[Hologram USA] understands what Liberace was about and are vested in his legacy. Earnings will help us find and fund a new talent just waiting to be discovered.”
Liberace’s syndicated TV show in the 1950s drew as many as 30 million viewers a week and he was one of the highest paid entertainers of his era. The world was fascinated with him then and clearly can still be moved to love him now: He was portrayed by actor Michael Douglas in the 2013 HBO TV movie directed by Steven Soderbergh, Behind the Candelabra which won 12 Emmys and 2 Golden Globes.
Hologram USA holds the exclusive North American license to the most life-like hologram technology, invented by Uwe Maass and Musion. It is the same technology that was used to create the Tupac Shakur hologram at Coachella in 2012 and more recently was credited with helping Prime Minister Modi win the election in India, Julian Assange virtually break out of the Ecuadorian embassy in London, and Jimmy Kimmel pick his nose simultaneously in Hollywood and Nashville.
David told TV Mix there are at least a dozen more resurrection deals finalized that will be announced in the coming weeks involving the most beloved stars from the early days of rock and roll, from the country music and jazz worlds and more. There will also be more Assange-like telepresence moments that will make news outside of the pop culture scene.
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