This is a good article. Click here for more information.

The Q (nightclub)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Q
The Q logo.png
Logo
Facade of a four-story building at night
Exterior of the Q in August 2021
Address795 Eighth Avenue
LocationHell's Kitchen, Manhattan, New York City
Coordinates40°45′41″N 73°59′14″W / 40.7613°N 73.9872°W / 40.7613; -73.9872Coordinates: 40°45′41″N 73°59′14″W / 40.7613°N 73.9872°W / 40.7613; -73.9872
Public transit
OwnerFrankie Sharp
Bob Fluet
Alan Picus
Type
OpenedJune 25, 2021 (2021-06-25)
Website
theqnyc.com

The Q is a multilevel LGBT nightclub in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Backed by celebrity investors including Billy Porter and Zachary Quinto, the club is billed as "the largest queer-owned and -operated nightlife venue in Manhattan".[1] It is known for its five distinctly themed rooms and for its entertainment selection, which features A-list comedians, prominent local drag queens, burlesque acts and jazz bands. The establishment was originally set to open in 2020, but its debut was pushed to June 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Q has garnered praise from critics, who have described it as innovative, inclusive and chic.

Description[]

Photograph of a Tom of Finland-themed wall mural
Tom of Finland mural outside the second-floor Gentlethem's Club

Located on Eighth Avenue near 48th Street in Hell's Kitchen, the Q is a four-story venue containing five distinct clubbing areas.[1][2][3] It is co-owned by Frankie Sharp, an event producer and DJ; Bob Fluet, a co-founder of the Boxers NYC bar chain; and Alan Picus, a party promoter.[1][2][4] Sharp stated to Thrillist and Queerty that it is "the largest queer-owned and -operated nightlife venue in Manhattan".[1][3]

Live music and performances take place on the Q's ground level,[1][3] which is outfitted with parquet floors, booths and mirrors.[5] The second floor, styled like a lounge, contains a bar and a "'Gentlethem's Club'[a] nestled behind a tufted wall".[1][3] The top level is an open clubbing space with 20-foot (6.1-meter) ceilings, a suspended catwalk, a high DJ platform and decorative LED screens bearing the venue's emblem.[1][3][6] In some areas, the walls are adorned with graffiti, queer movie posters and sexual artwork, including a Tom of Finland mural and a drawing of "a buff Ned Flanders from The Simpsons with protruding nipples".[5][6]

The establishment hosts a number of weekly drag and music shows, which star "prominent local entertainers like jazz musician Richard Cortez and drag queens Lagoona Bloo, Jasmine Rice Labeija, and Kizha Carr".[1][7] It also features A-list comedy events, burlesque and go-go dancing.[1][6][7]

History[]

Photograph of a bar with a chandelier and disco ball
Photograph of a busy bar under red lighting
Bars on the venue's second (left) and third floors

Sharp expressed intentions to open "a multi-floor LGBTQ nightclub ... that would redefine the genre" in early 2020, but the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic delayed these plans.[1] The Q's lease had been set to start on March 10 of that year, just days before nonessential businesses in New York were ordered to shutter. Several months later, the building's landlord proposed a "'COVID-friendly' deal" that enabled the venue's co-owners to proceed with construction.[4] Sharp, Fluet and Picus subsequently secured investments from celebrities including Billy Porter, Zachary Quinto, Charlie Carver and Jake Shears.[1][6][8]

In a March 2021 interview with Michael Musto, Sharp announced that the club would open as soon as it could feasibly do so under the circumstances of the pandemic.[3] Excitement over the Q's debut drew press attention throughout the spring,[2][4] with Instinct's Michael Cook calling it "one of the most anticipated nightlife openings in recent memory".[8] The club's inaugural party was held on June 25,[6][9] which coincided with the end of Pride month. The venue sold out a number of high-profile events during its first week.[1] As of July 2021, the establishment has required proof of vaccination against COVID-19 for entry.[9]

Reception[]

The basement loo actually had a shirtless DJ spinning tracks, and various semi-drag queens were doing runway in front of the mirror for extra camp surrealness. Even relieving yourself becomes performance art at the Q.

–Michael Musto, describing the Q's opening night[5]

Kyler Alvord of Thrillist called the Q "a game-changing queer venue that caters to every interest", remarking that it "brings four floors of old-school grit and glam to Manhattan's queer nightlife scene". He further commented: "While the Q revives some of the grit and allure synonymous with classic NYC gay clubs, it arrives with an added emphasis on respect and inclusion."[1]

A July 2021 Travel Gay review said the establishment was "set to become one of the biggest gay destinations in New York".[9] After attending the Q's opening weekend events, Musto dubbed it "[a] giddy Bloomingdale's of gay chic".[5] Insider's Moises Mendez II wrote that "each floor [has] a different vibe from the last, and as you make your way up the stairs, each space became even more energetic and vibrant".[6]

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ A portmanteau of gentlemen's club and accusative singular they

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Alvord, Kyler (July 6, 2021). "First Look: Legendary Event Producer Opens Multilevel LGBTQ Nightclub in Hell's Kitchen". Thrillist. Group Nine Media. Archived from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c Shapiro, Eileen (April 8, 2011). "The Q". Get Out! Magazine. Archived from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Musto, Michael (March 6, 2021). "Frankie Sharp to open huge, fabulous queer club in post-pandemic Hell's Kitchen". Queerty. Archived from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c Cook, Michael (April 5, 2021). "Game-changer Frankie Sharp Is Bringing The Q To NYC Nightlife". Instinct. Archived from the original on June 2, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d Musto, Michael (June 29, 2021). "This Is How Michael Musto Partied Through New York City's Pride Weekend". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on August 13, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Mendez II, Moises (July 1, 2021). "I finally returned to a queer club after 15 months of lockdown. As someone on the sweaty NYC dance floor spilled a drink on me, I felt at home again". Insider. Archived from the original on August 12, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  7. ^ a b Moore, Richard (June 26, 2021). "Join The Q — Four New Gay Venues Line Up to Open in Hell's Kitchen". W42ST.nyc. KOB Publishing. Archived from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2021.
  8. ^ a b Cook, Michael (May 30, 2021). "NYC's Most Anticipated Nightlife Space Announces Four New Investors". Instinct. Archived from the original on June 13, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2021.
  9. ^ a b c "The Q NYC". Travel Gay. Out4You. July 27, 2021. Archived from the original on August 10, 2021. Retrieved August 13, 2021.

External links[]

Retrieved from ""