Time for a change
It’s the end of an era, but is it really that serious? I am talking about the closure of Manacle and the finale of the long-running Queen show at the Midnight Shift.
Things come and go – we saw the closure of the Albury Hotel many years ago, and it seemed that we got through that quite easily. Granted, showgirls and staff seemed to pop up at surrounding venues very quickly, but we did what we had to do. Should it be “oh well, let’s move on”?
To say goodbye to the Queen show this Saturday at the Midnight Shift will be very sad and there is no arguing the shows produced by the girls were amazing.
From a performer’s point of view, knowing how hard it is to get any sort of show off the ground, it’s easy to see the Queen cast has what it takes. They have proven themselves year after year with a string of different shows and awards, including Amelia and Minnie taking out Entertainer of the Year 2006 and 2007.
With big budgets, the audience was assured that the razzle dazzle would be present every performance. They are great performers who work hard, but why goodbye? Crowd numbers? Poor bar takings? Too expensive? Or is it just time for a change? Does the gay community want to see a drag show or are we heading more down the European track, where drag seems to be contained to just the odd spot here and there?
Last Monday at 3am we witnessed the closing of another gay institution, Manacle. This hit very hard for many of my friends who would find themselves there at any hour of the day. “Where are we going to go?” I heard them all ask as news of the close broke in SSO. “Perhaps you could go home,” I told them.
Is this just another sign that our gay and lesbian presence on and around Oxford St is getting smaller? Flyers handed out promoting five levels of T2 surely indicate this. Somehow a couple of naked Kings Cross stripper girls don’t really depict the Manacle I have seen or known.
I remember hearing outrageous stories of happenings from the Barracks days to the Manacle days, from peanut shells on the floor to strange pool cue antics over the table, all making my eyebrows rise.
The venue was a place that the leather and fetish crowd could feel comfortable and at home.
Personally, I think it’s a loss to see any part of our community close down or finish but, as with all closures, something soon comes along to replace what we have lost.
I’m proud that our community is so diverse, with places for everyone out there in this divine city. Let’s hope those places are replaced as quickly as they have gone missing.
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