The Slipper Room

The Slipper Room is a variety theatre and house of burlesque, comedy and vaudeville, located in the Lower East Side district of Manhattan, New York City.

Overview

The concept of performer, filmmaker and impresario James Habacker, the venue first opened in 1999 when the neo-burlesque scene of New York was in its infancy,^[1] becoming the first venue built specifically to showcase the work of a new collective and designed to nurture emerging talent. The shows consist of performance artists, dancers, drag queens, vaudeville, variety and sideshow acts, often performing outrageous, messy and lewd routines.^[2] Habacker encourages performers to push themselves to try out new work without fear of censorship.^[1]

The Village Voice describes the Slipper Room as "a glorious reinterpretation of classic mid-19th Century European opera houses, complete with fleur-de-lis wallpaper, sumptuous purple banquettes, and a soaring stage",^[3] while The New York Times advises the meek "to stay on the mezzanine", where "audience members on the stage level have been known to be licked, tickled and mocked".^[2] NYC observes the venue as being "instrumental in reviving—perhaps even creating—the burlesque community in New York City, for the first eleven years as the cozy, intimate cocktail lounge it once was, and now as the two-level burlesque theater and bar and it's become... a stunning paean to Jazz Age with a stage that vaults the full two stories up, where balcony visitors get a bird's eye view of the action."^[4]

Controversy

The Slipper Room attracted controversy in March 2014 when sideshow performer Rush Aaron Hicks performed – without any pre-notification – in blackface, to the heavy condemnation of New York's performance community and appeared unrepentant afterwards.^[5][6] James Habacker responded with the following statement: “The Slipper Room has always been a place that has welcomed diversity. Over the years our stage has been graced by people of every ethnicity, sexual orientation, body type, and proclivity. We do not now, nor will we ever, have a policy of telling artists what they can and can’t do in their acts. Rush Aaron Hicks made a poor choice in doing Blackface. His unfortunate comments after the fact have only served to make things worse for him. We had a few bookings with him for this spring, which we have cancelled to give him time to reflect on his actions and their consequences.”

Performers

Artists who have guested at the Slipper Room over the years have included such acts as Lady Gaga,^[7] Leonard Cohen,^[8] the Scissor Sisters^[9] and U2,^[10] while popular downtown performers Dirty Martini, Murray Hill and Matt Fraser often appear. Variety shows are regularly hosted by comedians Bradford Scobie, Matthew Holtzclaw and Matt Roper under the guise of various characters, and also by James Habacker himself.

References

1. "About". Slipper Room. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
2. Stein, Joshua David (2013-01-23). "The Slipper Room Lower East Side". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
3. Chafin, Chris. "The Slipper Room Gets a Gorgeous Makeover". Village Voice. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
4. "Slipper Room New York City.com : Profile". NYC.com. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
5. "Slipper Room Owner James Habacker Comments on Rush Aaron Hicks 'Blackface' Incident - 21st Century Burlesque Magazine". 21st Century Burlesque Magazine. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
6. Aran, Isha. "Man Says It's Okay To Do Blackface If You Sleep With Black Chicks [Updated]". Jezebel. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
7. "125 Minutes With Lady Gaga". NYMag.com. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
8. "Flashback: U2 Teams With Leonard Cohen". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
9. "Scissor Sisters: Up Close and Personal". www.out.com. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
10. TheU2Wire (2016-01-29), U2 & Leonard Cohen :: 2005-05-19 :: The Slipper Room - New York, retrieved 2016-03-01