By GENNA RIVIECCIO| And they said New York was over. Here to disprove this theory once and for all is NYC-by-way-of-Scotland staple Alan Cumming with his new ‘Club Cumming’ in New York’s East Village.
What’s on offer? More than just a place to get smashed on weekends. Think clubs like Danceteria, Pyramid, Limelight and Sound Factory: NYC institutions that offered creative types with a need to channel the frustrations of their day, a place of sanctuary. That the hub of such outposts was often the East Village and Lower East Side is clearly not lost on Cumming, who is choosing to align his own nightclub, Club Cumming, with the only au courant club of the moment, Eastern Bloc. With the partnership of Eastern Bloc co-owners Benjamin Maisani (alias: Anderson Cooper’s boo) and Darren Dryden, as well as promoter Daniel Nardicio, the club in its current incarnation will close for renovations at the end of August and reopen in September in its Club Cumming format.
Considering that the first iteration of the club appeared as a pop-up in Cumming’s dressing room whilst he was performing in his cabaret act, Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs, it’s permanent re-creation is sure to go off without a hitch. And though Eastern Bloc was once hailed as a “bunker for gays,” it’s likely that Club Cumming will attract all sexualities and genders, which is just what the Scotsman wants.
The extremely tongue-in-cheek name is, naturally, in keeping with Cumming’s always irreverent sense of humor (surely you don’t need to be reminded of his performance in Josie and the Pussycats as Wyatt Frame a.k.a. White Ass Wally?) Slated to open by Fall of 2017–just in time to mend any seasonal depression some sexless people might have–Club Cumming will herald the dawn of a new age in clubbing. As one rep for the establishment has stated, it will be “as eclectic and unexpected as Alan himself.” Which means anything and anyone goes. And isn’t that just as it should be in New York City?
