Reclaiming the Glitter, Glamour, and Spirit of Showgirls

Elizabeth Berkley Credit: Jeff Vespa

In 1995, Paul Verhoeven introduced the world to Nomi Malone and the world rejected her. Panned on release, Showgirls got a bad rap as cheesy and chintzy, with venom especially directed at its star, Elizabeth Berkley. And that would’ve been the end of the story, if the film hadn’t quickly been claimed by the cult film community. Now, 30 years since it first sashayed onto the big screen, the Las Vegas fairy tale goes on tour with Berkley kicking it off at Austin’s Paramount Theatre this Thursday, Oct. 9.

Starting her Showgirls screening series in ATX seemed, to Berkley, a perfect fit as she’d had a profound experience here previously on tour for her teen girl self-esteem book Ask Elizabeth. “I really felt the embrace of the community who came out to support,” Berkley said. “There’s such a vibrant creative energy here – a mix of art, film, music etc. It’s a city that embraces individuality and celebrates the bold and the unconventional, which is exactly what Showgirls represents.” She also praised the city’s love for cinema “not just for what’s on the screen, but for the conversation it sparks,” encouraged by Austin audiences being “unafraid to celebrate something that was once misunderstood.”

“So much of what this anniversary is about is reclamation – about taking something that was dismissed and honoring its artistry, its impact, and the people who have kept its spirit alive,” Berkeley wrote over email. “Austin just gets that. It’s fearless. It’s alive. It’s unapologetic. Just like Nomi.”

To Berkley, the character Nomi and her identity as a showgirl goes beyond the general idea of a woman who combines dance and glamour. “[A showgirl] is someone who leads with her whole heart,” she explained. “She burns with ambition, passion, and purpose … She turns pain into power and vulnerability into art. Nomi Malone embodied that spirit and we all have a ‘Nomi’ in us – that fire, that hunger to be seen, to be understood, and to turn our story into something beautiful.”

In her view, the community that’s always seen Nomi for the showgirl she longed to be are LGBTQ filmgoers. “The community embraced the film long before the rest of the world caught up,” Berkley said. “They celebrated its camp, its excess, its beauty – but also its truth. They saw the strength in the struggle. And their love gave the film, and me, a second life.” Berkley recalled the film’s previous decade celebration, which took place at L.A.’s Cinespia on the very day same-sex marriage was legalized in the U.S. – a ruling currently under threat. That screening was where she said she began to understand Showgirls’ and Nomi’s impact.

“I think the LGBTQ+ community has always seen Showgirls for what it truly is,” she said, “a story about transformation, identity, survival, and claiming your power in a world that tries to tell you who you should be.”

As for any aspiring showgirls who need pointers on how to serve Nomi realness at the Paramount? Berkley advised going for high shimmer and shine: “Definitely Glitter. A lot of glitter. And then add some more glitter.” And, of course, if you’ve got the cash to shop for it, “anything VERSAYCE.”

Showgirls 30th Anniversary Screening: An Evening With Elizabeth Berkley Thursday, Oct. 9, Paramount Theatre austintheatre.org

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