by Jess Dooley
The sun dips low, the city-scape blotting out the last few rays of daylight. For an hour, the city is quiet as local business close up shop for the night and the 9-5 crowd is long gone for the day. And then the stretch of 12th Street between Walnut and Spruce livens up like a pulse coming back to life. The Gayborhood section of Philadelphia is known for raucous parties and LGBTQ-themed events, and being quite the bridging gap between Center City and Rittenhouse Square.
Voyeur and Woody’s are the section’s main watering holes, providing equal amounts of nightclub ambiance with all the sassy attitudes of a bustling urban gay community and responsible for hosting events catering to this niche. This Friday in particular, local drag queen extraordinaires, Porcelain (of The Misfits and founder of Funerary) and Brandon Robert (creator of PhillyDragopolis) are introducing a darker side of drag gamut, an event they’ve named aptly- Vaudeville. The aesthetic looks to be a mash up of carnival sideshow, circus acts and a touch of burlesque—which should lure a mixed crowd of everything from Sea Punk princesses to regular queens.
The bill is rounded out by New York burlesque superstar Raquel Reed; New Jersey’s own suspension and horror club kid, Gisella Rose; drag artist Ann Artest; Porcelain’s group, The Misfits, and others not yet announced. Philadelphia-based queer scene DJs Xavier B and K Rex will also be there to get attendees to tear up the dance floor and make sure the party never stops.
The event begins at Voyeur Nightclub (1221 St. James St) at 10 PM with a $10 cover fee ($8 for those who are dressed in accordance with the theme). Rumor has it that free Absolut vodka shots will be served as supplies allow from 10-11 PM.
It’s not your average night out; but then again, it’s the Gayborhood.
They don’t really do average.
