Daytime DJs are bringing club vibes to coffee shops
Driving the news: Club Café is a free monthly pop-up series that brings club music and DJs to coffee spaces and restaurants.
How it started: DSM Flea co-founders Phoenix Lee and Boey Lu launched Club Café to give people a way to enjoy DJ sets without the late-night bar scene or alcohol.
"Going out at night, getting ready at 10pm and then going out until 2am, that's not where I'm at in life," Lee says.
State of play: The first Club Café will be at Chain and Spoke from 10am-2pm Saturday.
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Boston Globe
17-07-2025
- Boston Globe
Backstage drama feeds the comedy in ‘The Understudy'
'We are always looking for new collaborators,' says Elias, 'but they have to be ready and willing to roll with the punches.' Advertisement The company, which is also distinguished by its 'pay-what-you-can' policy for all performances (which keeps their productions accessible), mounts three productions each season, two in the fall and winter at the Boston Center for the Arts and one during the summer at Club Café. Advertisement ''The Understudy' is our fifth summer production here,' says Elias. 'It's a fun place with a great vibe, and the Club Café staff have been wonderful partners. The room encourages us to create a more immersive theater experience for our audiences.' And while the Club Café space doesn't have the bells and whistles of traditional theaters (there's a limited lighting grid and no wing space), award-winning actor and director Paula Plum, who has worked with the company since their inaugural season, says Hub has a team that makes magic happen. 'Lighting designer Emily Bearce has worked wonders with limited instruments, Justin Lahue has created evocative projections for the walls of the theater, and Peyton Tavares's set is very flexible,' she says. ''The Understudy' has a kind of 'Play That Goes Wrong' vibe,' says Elias, 'so our creative solutions to three set changes and exits and entrances through the audience add to the fun.' The action takes place at an understudy rehearsal on the stage of the Broadway premiere of a newly discovered play by Franz Kafka. Jake (Cristhian Mancinas-García) is a B-list action film actor trying to boost his credibility with the Broadway gig. He shares the stage with the never-seen Bruce, a megastar who makes 10 times Jake's salary. Harry (Kevin Paquette), an actor struggling to find work, has been cast as Bruce's understudy, but also happens to have jilted the stage manager weeks before their wedding six years ago. 'I have been so excited by the on-stage chemistry between the two men,' Plum says. 'That's not always something you can predict, but Cristhian is very skilled at physical comedy and Kevin's reactions increase the humor.' Advertisement As the characters work through the scenes in the absurdist Kafka play (which appears to be a cross between 'The Castle' and 'The Trial') the two build a begrudging friendship. This places even more pressure on Roxanne, who is trying to stay calm through the chaos created by a stoned board operator while navigating the emotional upheaval caused by Kevin's appearance and Jake's interest in her. Rebeck's script doesn't shy away from drama with a capital D, and the absurdity of a life in the theater. Plum says that beneath the humor lies real insight into 'what it really means to deal with an acting career. There's a lot of heartbreak and disappointment,' she says. A speech where Harry claims he's not bitter 'exposes all the anxiety and neuroses of lots of actors.' Navigating all the emotional extremes might seem to demand a firm directorial hand, but Plum says she follows her instincts, and Elias describes it as 'adjusting the barometer.' 'Really,' says Plum, 'when you have great actors, my role becomes making sure the technical aspects of the play work smoothly.' As she looks ahead to more Hub seasons, Elias says three shows a year feels right, despite growing audience interest in Hub's work. 'In the early days, people would come to the show because they knew someone in it, 'she says. 'Now, more and more, I'm seeing repeat customers, people who came to one show and want to see what we are doing next. That's gratifying.' That word-of-mouth success is something that anyone would be lucky to understudy. THE UNDERSTUDY Presented by Hub Theatre Company of Boston, at Club Café, 209 Columbus Ave, Boston, July 19-Aug. 2. Tickets are pay-what-you-can. Audiences receive 20% off Club Café food bill. Advertisement
Axios
04-04-2025
- Axios
Daytime DJs are bringing club vibes to coffee shops
There's a new type of club in Des Moines — and this one doesn't center on nightlife or bars. Driving the news: Club Café is a free monthly pop-up series that brings club music and DJs to coffee spaces and restaurants. How it started: DSM Flea co-founders Phoenix Lee and Boey Lu launched Club Café to give people a way to enjoy DJ sets without the late-night bar scene or alcohol. "Going out at night, getting ready at 10pm and then going out until 2am, that's not where I'm at in life," Lee says. State of play: The first Club Café will be at Chain and Spoke from 10am-2pm Saturday.
Boston Globe
11-11-2024
- Boston Globe
Free things to do in Boston: an opera master class, a multidisciplinary debut, and cabaret, Vegas style
Boston Lyric Opera and the Boston Conservatory at Berklee will host a free master class with bass vocalist Morris Robinson this week. Courtesy Morris Robinson COME TO THE CABARET Singer-songwriter Brian De Lorenzo brings his mid-century Vegas-inspired cabaret, 'Sammy & Sinatra at The Sands,' to Club Café. The founding member of the Boston Association of Cabaret Artists premiered the act at CabaretFest! in Provincetown in June. The show pays homage to its namesake icons — Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra — featuring selections of their timeless tracks inspired by their headlining days at the Copa Room at the Sands Hotel and Casino. Nov. 12, 6:30-7:30 p.m. No cover. Club Café Napoleon Room, 209 Columbus Ave. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Enter Email Sign Up VIVA ITALIA The Consulate General of Italy in Boston will host its first Festival of Italian Creativity from Nov. 14 to 22. The programming features events celebrating Italian heritage and artistic expression, including a screening of 'Romeo è Giulietta' on Nov. 17, a signing and talk with 'Rat-Man' comic creator Leonardo Ortolani on Nov. 14, a discussion with authors Dacia Maraini and Marco Malvaldi on Nov. 15, and live jazz and opera performances at venues across the city. Nov. 14-22, varying times. Free. Various locations. Advertisement TURN THE LIGHT ON Boston multidisciplinary artist Mariona Lloreta will present her performance showcase, 'ALTARS, The Live Experience,' at Hibernian Hall. The evening, which includes a screening of Lloreta's short film 'ALTARS,' will feature dancers Russell Gutta Ferguson and My'Kal Stromile, Brazilian dance ensemble SambaViva, Boston Youth Poet Laureate Alondra Bobadilla, and Berklee alum and Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist Phillip Young. Nov. 15, 7-9 p.m. Free. Hibernian Hall, 184 Dudley St. Advertisement ART PERSEVERES Artists Rhonda Smith and Wendy Seller will discuss their current exhibitions at the Kingston Gallery in the South End. In 'Undiscovered Country,' Smith used tactile processes — like sculpting and molding — for mixed media works inspired by nature, poetry, and tales from mythology and the Nov. 16, 2-3 p.m. Free. Kingston Gallery, 450 Harrison Ave. #43. Deals and steals One of View Boston's observation decks on top of the Prudential Center in Back Bay. Courtesy View Boston ROOM WITH A VIEW View Boston will offer half-price tickets for veterans and active members of the military in honor of Veterans Day, which are normally about $25. With 360-degree views of the city, it's a great way to see Boston from a new point of view. Nov. 11, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. $12-$13. Box office only. View Boston, Prudential Center, 800 Boylston St. WALK ON THE WILD SIDE Veterans can get wild with free admission at Franklin Park Zoo and Stone Zoo on Monday. With proper military identification, service members and their immediate families can visit both Zoo New England locations on the house, and hang out with the likes of lions, ostriches and zebras while taking in the fresh air. Nov. 11, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free. Franklin Park Zoo, 1 Franklin Park Road; Stone Zoo, 149 Pond St., Stoneham. CHEAP EAT This week, Veggie Galaxy's breakfast sandwiches will be just $1. The four options — which typically cost $10-$12 each — include the Great Galaxy, which features an over-easy egg, hash browns, and plant-based bacon; an Egg & Cheese; a Southwestern breakfast burrito; and The Comet, which features an over-easy egg, seitan sausage, and an avocado mash. Nov. 11-15, 9-11 a.m. $1. Veggie Galaxy, 450 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. Advertisement Emily Wyrwa can be reached at
