Feathers, Rhinestones, and a Kansas City Mobster
If you've ever been curious about the real world behind those towering headdresses and sequined costumes that made Las Vegas famous, The Mob Museum is giving you a front-row seat — and the timing couldn't be better. Right before National Showgirl Day on May 24, the museum put a rare costume on display donated by Maryann Picchi, who performed in Folies Bergere under the stage name Maryann Hernandez throughout the late 1970s and beyond.
The pieces span several costumes from her decade-long career in one of Vegas' most iconic productions. But the item that really makes this display stand out? A personal letter written to her by Joe Agosto — the Folies Bergere executive producer who was also, as it turns out, a Kansas City mobster. That one piece of paper connects the glitter of the showroom stage directly to the organized crime networks running quietly underneath it.
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An Evening with the Women Who Were Actually There
The costume display is worth seeing on its own, but Thursday, May 21 is your real opportunity. From 7 to 8 p.m., the museum is hosting “The Lives of the Showgirls: True Stories from Mob-Era Las Vegas” inside its historic courtroom — one of the cooler event spaces in downtown Las Vegas.
Former showgirls Dawnie Sachs, Diane Christiansen, and Teri Thorndike will be sharing firsthand stories, joined by UNLV historian Su Kim Chung, whose research focuses on preserving exactly this kind of history. These aren‘t secondhand accounts or dramatized versions — these are women who actually performed during Las Vegas’ entertainment heyday, navigating an industry where the person signing your paycheck might also have mob connections. The program wraps with a book signing, so plan to stick around.
Why This Matters Beyond the Nostalgia
The showgirl era defined Las Vegas‘ global image for decades, but it’s fading fast. The productions that once filled the Stardust, the Tropicana, and the Sands are mostly gone now, and the women who built careers in them are getting older. Events like this one — where the actual performers get to tell their own stories rather than being filtered through someone else's documentary — are increasingly rare.
The Las Vegas showgirl tradition shaped everything from tourism marketing to pop culture, and the mob connections woven through that era aren‘t just tabloid fodder. They’re part of the honest history of how this city actually operated. The Mob Museum has always been good at holding both things at once: the spectacle and the shadow behind it.
Plan Your Visit
The Mob Museum is located at 300 Stewart Ave in downtown Las Vegas, right in the historic former federal courthouse. The Thursday evening program runs from 7 to 8 p.m. and includes the post-program book signing.
If you're already planning to be downtown this week, this is a genuinely worthwhile stop — the kind of evening that leaves you with stories to tell, which is really the best thing a night out in this city can do for you.
Event Information
The Mob Museum
Independent (near Park MGM)
- Thu, May 21, 2026 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM
300 Stewart Ave • Las Vegas, NV 89101 View map →
