Madame Tussauds a Slick Tourist Trap

Are the wax statues creepy? That pretty much goes without saying. Do they look real? Some do, some don't. George Washington's head seems awfully big for his body. I'm pretty sure Beyoncé isn't that skinny. I can't even guess who they based the Bob Woodward figure on, but it certainly couldn't have been Bob Woodward. But Abraham Lincoln seems pretty real, and sitting next to him in a chair in a model of the balcony at Ford's Theater is exceedingly odd and uncomfortable. Sitting next to the pretty good rendering of George Clooney, less so.

The relative realness or fakeness of each statue doesn't seem to correlate with whether they're historical or still living, either. Hillary Clinton looks pretty lively, with a big smile and a wave to her supporters. Sir Winston Churchill, too, feels as though he might be about to tell you a secret. But Angelina Jolie, standing next to a lifeless Brad Pitt, looks like someone who had plastic surgery to look exactly like Angelina Jolie. It's sort of close, but there's something horribly, horribly wrong. Madonna, oddly slumped on a sofa with her legs spread open, is even weirder.

The D.C. branch of Tussauds (there are six others, in London, Amsterdam, New York, Las Vegas, Shanghai and Hong Kong) is largely D.C.-themed, with rooms featuring presidents (Washington, Jefferson, FDR, Johnson, Truman, Kennedy, Nixon, both Bushes, Reagan and Clinton), civil rights leaders (Martin Luther King, Jr., Malcolm X, Rosa Parks), a few local figures (Duke Ellington, Marvin Gaye, Marion Barry) and the media (Katie Couric). It was interesting to see though, that the vast majority of people in attendance last night ended up congregating in the room containing all the movie stars. Maybe it was only due to the fact that it's also where they had the food stationed, but if the squeals of delight at the chance to get a photograph with "Johnny Depp" were any indication, people are more interested in posing with statues of sexy celebrities than they are with ones of dead presidents. Posing with the real Marion Barry, who was in attendance, was the night's other big draw.

So, should you go? If you're desperate for a place to take out-of-town guests who have questionable taste and lots of extra money to spend, sure. Madame Tussauds really does feel like it might be fun ... for about ten minutes. That's how long it takes to sink in that what you're doing is amassing a bunch of photos of yourself standing next to wax statues. And that you've paid $25 for the privilege.

(note: This Friday and Saturday only, visitors can see the full museum for an
introductory price of $10. After that, admission will be $25.)