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This Town Is Cool: Gay Dance Club Has Drag, Dancing . . . and More Dancing

Chic "danceboutique" brings high-energy dancing, cabaret performances to the Shaw neighborhood.

Drag shows are part of Saturday's entertainment at Town.

Town (2009 Eighth St., NW; 202-234-TOWN), a new gay dance club in DC’s Shaw neighborhood, commemorated the recent national holiday with the Martin Luther King Jr. Special—more precisely, an act of the same name during its weekly drag show. With a pink fedora angled provocatively over her right eye, a drag queen dressed the part of Alicia Keys perfectly as she lip-synched to the hip-hop star’s “No One.”

Drag is just one form of entertainment at Town. A two-level warehouse-size space near the U Street corridor, the high-energy club combines weekend cabaret performances and pounding music with plush lounges and video installations to make for a “danceboutique,” as Town describes itself. The place is chic and cool, and the $12 cover—in a city that rarely charges at the door—only makes you more curious about what’s inside the double black doors.

Town is open nightly from 9 PM to 4 AM, with shockingly reasonably priced drinks (I got two for $12) served until 2:45 AM. Friday night (for 18 and over) is called Downtown and showcases cutting-edge music and avant-garde performances. The DJ pumps aggressive electro-pop-rock music, while Town’s own dance troupe, X-faction, performs throughout the night. Saturday night (for 21 and up) is known as Uptown—as the club puts it, “the classic Saturday night, wave your hands in the air, take your shirt off, dance all night, meet the man of your dreams, party experience.” And boy, is it.

On the first level, Saturdays kick off with two glamorous drag shows hosted by Miss Lena Lett, a leggy, cynical queen with big hair and a short skirt. In between each act, Lett quickly targets the more timid guys in the audience for crass questioning and hysterical comedy sketches. On a recent visit, other drag queens joined the MLK Special. They included Destiny Child, whose infectious energy and barely-there gold-sequined dress elicited a roar from the audience.

The second level is almost exclusively dedicated to dancing; multiple dance floors might feature captivating X-faction performances or accommodate the overflow of bumping and grinding. The vast space is dark, save for bright LED projections on the walls, making a dark sea of dancers happy to know that whatever happens in Town stays in Town. Small platforms perched on square columns hold a handful of partygoers who can show off, well, whatever they like.

If the crowd’s reaction to the MLK Special this past weekend is any indication of the DC gay community’s feeling about Town’s arrival, then there’s no question: It’s applauding, cheering loudly, and most certainly turned on.

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Comments

My friends celebrated my birthday at town.The night was all fun until the drag show started. Never before have i seen a group of unattractive men in makeup and wigs parade around like idiots! I’m from Tampa and if this is all that DC has to offer, I don’t recommend this venue to anyone. There’s got to be better drag in the nations capitol! jeez

Posted by: Timmy | Feb 23, 2008 03:02:01 PM

I like the music there on Fridays. I think you’ve had a new DJ the past few weeks and he is awesome.

Posted by: Mike | Feb 09, 2008 12:08:27 PM

club TOWN is hot, classy, and loads of fun in my opinion...its wat u make of it anyway duh..the music is pumpin so if ur a wallflower I suggest u don’t go and waste ur money lol..there are plenty of quality guys there too..buttt! I could say the drinks could be way better tho...wen I ask for something fruity I didn’t mean sprite, grenadine, and water mixed with a drop of vodka lol! but hey that’s my only complaint

Posted by: lonnie | Feb 08, 2008 07:25:43 AM

I love going there to this show. I cannot wait to go back! Love to all the girls.

Posted by: Shelby Stephyns | Feb 01, 2008 04:17:27 PM

I’ve seen drag for years in Washington, DC. I must say that while the venue is nice most of the performers are rather lacking in style and creativity. It in no way compares to the days of Zigfields. Watching the show several weeks ago the only one i could say that put herself together correctly was Blair Michaels. Shiqueeta Lee was the most entertaining. I hope the show improves or changes. Otherwise get some strippers so patrons can exit when they don’t feel like watching some of the performers.

Posted by: SE Baby | Jan 29, 2008 08:04:55 AM

Town is a very nice looking club! The drag show stage makes a great runway!!

Posted by: | Jan 29, 2008 03:17:27 AM

Thank you so much for the article - It is always a pleasure to hear when someone is entertained by our show - While at times we might not always choose selections that satisfy everyones vision of a drag show, I can confidently say that all of our cast members make it their goal to bring it to TOWN each and every weekend - Any entertainer in the busy will tell you its not easy to come up with 8 different numbers every weekend and make sure its different every weekend - to the first person (JAZZ) who commented, I hope you will give us another chance to try and entertain you, as we are only getting better and better and TOWN and the drag show are not going away anytime soon - Thanks again for the great article - If you wanna see video of some of the performances you can goto YOUTUBE and search for reginajozetadams - there are several videos of the cast at TOWN.

I like my men like my chicken - ALL DARK MEAT

Posted by: Regina Jozet Adams | Jan 26, 2008 08:34:32 AM

THIS HAS GOT TO BE THE WORST DRAG SHOW I’VE EVER SEEN! I REGRET WASTING MY TIME & MONEY.

Posted by: JAZZ | Jan 25, 2008 10:34:57 AM

Did your reporter actually go to Town, or just paraphrase their press releases and send a photographer over?

Posted by: really? | Jan 25, 2008 10:18:22 AM

A night at Town may bring many surprises, yet seemingly the surprise is to actually further revealed when a drag queen unveils her duty as such. My name is Tj and I have been out in the nightlife for only a few years now, and in my lamp of experience a Drag Queen is an extension of what many aspire to be. Thus brought to light by virtue of Courage, Talent, Attitude, Wit, and of course GlamOuuur. "COURAGE"(Victoria Barrera Jaymes aka Bubbles DeVear Bloomingdale she is a complete package), "Talent"(Of course the multi talented off Broadway/ actor/actress/singer, etc, etc. Shi-queeta-Lee, "Attitude"(Exavier Onasis Bloomingdale), "Wit"(Survivor with Grace Regina Jozett Adams), and of course "GlamOuuur"(Blair Michaels).

Posted by: Tj, jragbi@aol.com | Jan 25, 2008 09:43:13 AM

Thank you for the wonderful article! The rest of Ladies of Town includes..Blair Michaels, Regina Jozet Adams, Opheilia Bottoms. These are the perminent cast members. At times that will be special guest. When a cast member isn’t able to perform because of illness or other commitment. Thanks to all those who’ve come to support what is truley becoming THE drag show to see in DC!
Lipstick and paint makes a man what he ain’t!
Blair Michaels
One of the "Ladies of Town"

Posted by: Blair Michaels | Jan 25, 2008 04:29:21 AM

Thanks so much for the nice write-up on the Drag Shows the cast appreciates it very much. Feel free to come and be entertained.The gurl in the pink fedora was Miss Shi-Queeta-Lee.

Posted by: Shi-Queeta-Lee Diva of TOWN o0o0o0o0o | Jan 24, 2008 02:32:49 PM

The TOWN DJ’s play everything from 80’s to today!! You can always garuntee a good time when you go there. You not only have a drag show with some of DC’s most entertaining drag queens but you got the X-Faction dance troop that will blow you away and DJ’s that know how to have a party!

Posted by: Destiny B. Childs | Jan 24, 2008 10:51:42 AM

Great, funny, to the point, totally entertaining, makes we want to go, when can me and deb get to go???? great writing, you wet my lips

Posted by: The "Mim" | Jan 23, 2008 11:12:42 AM

Do they play hip hop? I can’t stand stereotypical thumpy gay dance music and like my club experience with some urban flava.

Posted by: Jake | Jan 23, 2008 10:03:57 AM

This Town Is Cool: Gay Dance Club Has Drag, Dancing . . . and More Dancing

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