Best of the New: Entertainment
Ethnic Nights at the Middle East
Punk rock? Check. Edith Piaf tribute bands and '60s soul? Check and check. The Middle East already had most musical tastes covered, but last year it went further. Kenyan Night attracted local Africans with its African musicians. Then came a Rock in Spanish party, Clandestino. "These nights are popular because it's a chance for people to be with their community, to sing songs they grew up with," says the club's booker, Kevin Hoskins. Look for Noche Mexicana (Tuesdays), Latin Night (Fridays), and the Russian Rock Club. The Middle East, 472480 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, 617-864-3278; www.mideastclub.com
Lucky Strike Lanes
Open since April, Lucky Strike Lanes is more of a bowling lounge than a bowling alley. Here on the third floor of the entertainment megaplex Jillian's, you'll find wooden floors, huge velvety couches, Art Deco lighting, an enormous wall of televisions behind the bar broadcasting all the important pro sports games, and DJs spinning on weekend nights. Oh, yeah, did we mention they have 16 lanes? And to ward off the boredom of watching your buddy throw gutter balls all night, eight giant plasma screens above the lanes montage movie clips with the work of up-and-coming artists. 145 Ipswich Street, Boston, 617-437-0300; www.luckystrikeboston.com
The Crown Royal Club at Fenway Park
Moments after a pivotal ALCS game ended at Fenway, ex-GE honcho and avid baseball fan Jack Welch exited through the Crown Royal Club. Hailing a club staffer with "Hey, Johnny, great game, huh?" he strode past a gaggle of Massachusetts pols and national notables. At the beginning of last season, the Red Sox and Fenway concessionaire Aramark turned the former site of a memorabilia store on the Brookline Avenue border of Fenway Park into this restaurant-club, a VIP lounge for season ticket holders of the new dugout seats and for management guests. Among those spotted over the season: Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm), Richard Schiff (The West Wing), and Richard Dreyfuss. As the off-season cold settled over Fenway, the Crown Royal Club remained one of the few non-construction zones at the park, serving as the site of press conferences and charity events. For the lucky few, the club is accessible from Brookline Avenue and from inside the park.
Jamspot
Boston bands have usually been relegated to loud dingy warehouses to rehearse. But in February 2004, JamSpot set out to provide another option: a clean, acoustically sophisticated place for amateur and professional rockers alike. Five 12-foot-by-20-foot rooms come with a drum set, a PA system, amps, microphones, and a recorder to capture performers' sounds, whether it's weekend warriors goofing around (at $30 an hour for a room, plus a one-time $10 membership fee, this might replace poker night) or pros prepping for a FleetCenter show. 111 South Street, Somerville, 617-666-7529; www.jamspot.com
Dee Dee's Lounge
This is an old bar but a new venue. The well-lit Quincy joint started booking punk-rock shows in January 2004. Now it's packed on music nights, providing a needed alternative to Lansdowne Street. The club has hosted bands from China, Ireland, and the UK, along with local greats Gang Green and Darkbuster. Standard cover is $5, beers are cheap, and with TVs everywhere, Dee Dee's is also a good sports bar. 297 Newport Avenue (across from the Wollaston T stop), Quincy, 617-328-5938
Limelight Stage & Studios
Since opening in early December, Limelight has elevated karaoke with high-tech swank. Wannabe rock stars can cut loose in front of an audience on the main stage, choose a video-screen backdrop, and record their performances on CD or DVD. (Thanks to Limelight's electronic system, expect to pitch-shift soon with the worst of them.) Or opt for a mod private karaoke lounge, a la Lost in Translation. If a friend in the throes of Asia's "Heat of the Moment" just won't give up the mike, fight back by noodling with the lighting features, then order another round of cocktails. Intrepid singles should check out Duets, mixers where crooning breaks the ice. 204 Tremont Street, Boston, 617-423-0785; www.limelightboston.com
Middlesex Lounge
You will know quickly if Middlesex Lounge is or is not your cup of Pimm's. No one eats dinner; they share snacks such as "10 tiny tacos," a Kobe beef burger, or ravioli in garlic cream sauce. The tables and chairs are on wheels, and patrons can configure them to fit their party. The vibe depends on what the DJ is spinning. Occasionally there is live music. The wait can be long on weekends, with a $5 cover after 9. Go on a weeknight and soak up the cool intellectualism. A Pimm's Cup is available, also a memorable minty mojito. 315 Massachusetts Avenue, Central Square, Cambridge, 617-868-6739; www.middlesexlounge.com
Opera House
For years, the decaying Opera House sat empty, as city leaders searched for somebody, anybody with the millions needed to restore the masterpiece of gilt, marble, and bronze. Enter Clear Channel, the Texas-based media conglomerate that's sometimes blamed for crushing local arts institutions across the country. But this time, Clear Channel ponied up close to $40 million to restore the Opera House to its pre-Depression splendor. The first show, Disney's The Lion King, earned millions. And Clear Channel ingratiated itself by taking in Boston Ballet's Nutcracker (orphaned by longtime venue The Wang Center), which plays the Opera House next winter. 539 Washington Street, Boston, 617-931-2787
The Overdraught Pub
Although it opened in 2001, the Overdraught has become the little pub that could in the past year. Since hiring veteran booker Martin Doyle to bring in the bands last fall, the place frequently fills to its 85-person capacity. What's better than having a pint in a pint-size pub while checking out acts like the Upper Crust? The atmosphere is homey, and it feels exclusive without being snobby. The pub food is tasty and cheap. Try the pickle chips. 877 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, 617-868-3221; www.theoverdraughtpub.com
Ruby Room
Our first thought upon entering the Ruby Room, which opened in May at the Onyx Hotel near the FleetCenter, was "Is that all there is?" The lounge is cute, with a red chandelier and curved red-leather banquette, but it's so small and close to the front door that it doubles as the hotel's lobby (and its restaurant). Then we tasted the lightly tart Apricotti Cincotti, with its ethereal mix of vodka, apricot puree, and crushed mint. Then the DJ went from Jill Scott to Tom Tom Club to Neneh Cherry. Then two girls started shaking their backsides for a friend's camera. And we knew we'd be back. 155 Portland Street, Boston, 617-557-9950; www.rubyroomboston.com
Tomb
Picture yourself as Indiana Jones, flashlight in hand as you plunge into an Egyptian tomb. Then, suddenly, you burst upon - the gift shop? Part haunted house, part movie set, Tomb offered Bostonians something new for their entertainment dollar in 2004: an interactive adventure show starring you and your companions as archeologists traipsing through Pharaoh's crypt. Thousands of college students, schoolchildren, and even office types on corporate outings have matched wits with Tomb's computer-generated demiurge. Alas, no bullwhips allowed. At 5W!TS, 186 Brookline Avenue, Boston, 617-375-9487; www.5-wits.com
Umbria
Hot spots aren't preordained, they just happen. At Umbria, in the financial district, diners enjoy the Italian restaurant with Marisa Iocco at the helm, while weekend clubbers head upstairs. In the third-floor Ultra Lounge, leather couches and suede walls fill the brick-arched rooms. The Nightclub at Umbria is on the fourth and fifth floors; the club is home to the Vodka Bar, which offers the largest selection of vodkas in the city, backlit and enticing on long glass shelves. DJs work both the lounge and nightclub. Friday-night and Saturday-night diners pay no cover for the clubs. 295 Franklin Street, Boston, 617-338-1000; www.umbriaristorante.com
Curtains Call: Two new theaters, in Boston and Cambridge, are unveiled to rave reviews.
Calderwood Pavilion at the BCA
Long considered a third-rate theater town for its lack of proper stages, Boston moved at least a step closer to keeping up with the Chicagos by opening its first new spaces in 75 years. The Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts won't solve the city's stage crunch. After all, the larger of the pavilion's two spaces, the Virginia Wimberly Theatre, has just 360 seats. But they do give local companies including the Huntington, Sugan, and SpeakEasy - more places to put on a show. 527 Tremont Street, Boston, 617-933-8600; bostontheatrescene.com
Zero Arrow Theatre
The American Repertory Theatre's new auxiliary space, the Zero Arrow Theatre, is an 80-foot-by-60-foot "black box" that can handle a variety of performing arts, including theater, dance, music, film, and combinations thereof. The one-man show Foreign Aids inaugurated the space; upcoming events include the play Olly's Prison and dance performances presented by World Music/CRASHarts. Zero Arrow features a sprung floor (great for dance) and three 100-seat pods that can be moved on air casters into multiple configurations. The space can be divided into two acoustically separate sections, enabling a rehearsal over here and a film over there. Arrow Street and Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, 617-547-8300; amrep.org
The following writers contributed to the "Best of the New" reports: Naomi Aoki, Alison Arnett, Carol Beggy, Chris Berdik, Karen Campbell, Robert Campbell, Monica Collins, Michelle Bates Deakin, Peter DeMarco, Geoff Edgers, Anthony Flint, Catherine Foster, Jan Gardner, Joshua Glenn, Meredith Goldstein, Ken Gordon, Amy Graves, Patrick Gerard Healy, Stephen Jermanok, Sheryl Julian, Patrick Kennedy, Doug Most, Kimberly Moy, Charles P. Pierce, Mark Pothier, James Reed, Bridget Samburg, Shira Springer, Lise Stern, Rachel Strutt, Tina Sutton, Emily Sweeney, Rachel Travers, and Joe Yonan. Send e-mails to magazine@globe.com.
