Interview: “All Roads Lead to Jacque’s”

This Pride Month, WERS is highlighting queer-centric and queer-owned businesses. What better way to kick it off than at Jacque’s Cabaret? Established in the 1930s, Jacque’s lives on through three generations and counting. Riley Vecchione, our Digital Marketing Specialist, sat down with Allen Estey-Marts at Jacque’s Cabaret to chat about the iconic drag bar’s history, challenges, triumphs and culture. 

 

THANK YOU FOR MEETING WITH ME TODAY! CAN YOU START OFF WITH AN INTRODUCTION AND HOW YOU GOT STARTED AT JACQUE’S?

AEM: I’m Allen, the GM of Jacque’s Cabaret in Bay Village. I started about 5 years ago. Believe it or not, I was the cleaner. Worked my way up: security, DJ, bartender. Then covid hit… we shut down for 15 months. There was a lot of fear if it was ever coming back. But the manager at the time, Chris, she pushed it— she said, “it’s gotta come back.” So it took a month. This place was a disaster. We reopened on July 15th of 2021 and we’ve been going strong ever since.

 

I WAS GOING TO ASK HOW IT’S BEEN SINCE THE PANDEMIC AND HOW IT’S BOUNCED BACK SINCE THEN.

AEM: It’s been a learning curve actually. For many years we’ve landed on our Friday and Saturday night crowds going very strong. Mostly bachelorettes, birthdays. We’re known for having shows 7 days a week. Something. Maybe Karaoke isn’t a show, but, it’s something. But it’s kind of died down a lot.

On my first day, I put out a statement. Just to let people know: this is a safe place. You can come here. Jacque’s has always been known as “all roads lead to Jacque’s.” And they do. Everyone knows Jacque’s Cabaret. People travel the world to come here. But the reality of it is, that’s known. So the new saying is, “all are welcome.”

 

ALL ARE WELCOME. THAT’S AMAZING. TAKE ME BACK FURTHER. HOW DID JACQUE’S START?

AEM: In 1938, a straight couple purchased the building. I'm not sure if the space was empty, but it became a tavern— Colonial Tavern. The space we’re sitting in now did not exist back then, it was a gas station. The other side was a tailor shop. From my understanding, for years this was the local haunt for the neighborhood. It was not the greatest place to live, but it was cheap.

The queer community at the time could afford it here and would come here. It was never officially queer/gay/lesbian or anything. It was just the local haunt. Fast forward a few years, 1963-ish, the second generation takes over. Well, by that time the family owned the gas station behind the tavern, and expanded. Broke down the wall. They reopened in 1964 as Jacque’s. 

When we opened in ‘64 as Jacque’s, we were a lesbian bar. A lot of people don’t know that. The lesbians would go through the front entrance and the gay men would go downstairs through the side entrance. And then in the ’70s, drag really started. We had a club on the other side of the street called The Other Side. A lot of stabbings and shootings. Because of that, regulations made it so that Jacque’s had to close at twelve. As far as I know we’re the only venue that has a 12 o'clock license.

The ’80s saw a big boom in the drag world so they kinda leaned on that and expanded. The second generation of our owners was known as the King of Clubs because he owned so many clubs. But this has been the family baby. Now we’re on the third generation. The second generation passed away last year. This is their family legacy. 

 

A LOT OF DRAG ICONS HAVE STARTED HERE. HOW HAS JACQUE’S PROVIDED A SPACE FOR NEW QUEENS TO CUT THEIR TEETH?

AEM: Drag has always been a lot of work just to get into a show. You had to come in here and work for free and carry someone's bags or kitten. Our show director told me when she started 21 years ago, she sat in the dressing room, carried bags, and did those things to get into the place. Nowadays it’s very different, because we want to embrace new talent. There's so much talent, especially in Boston. 

So we have things like MT’s Drag Stroll, where you sign up. If it’s your first time, you automatically get in the show. We [also] have competitions that come through, a lot of it is sign-up based. We just did ‘So You Think You Can Gaga,’ we did ‘So You Think You Can Cher,’ we also have the Boston Drag Gauntlet, similar to Rupaul's Drag Race but made for the stage. 

We also do auditions. I try to hold them once a year. I want performers to come out and show show-hosts who book the talent what they’re not seeing, because they aren't here on the MT Stroll nights. But the Stroll and those competitions give them a lot of chances to get experience and learn Jacque’s. 

Because Jacque’s is not your typical drag stage. Not at all. When you do the big Friday and Saturday shows — which Friday is its own world, it’s called the Doll House for trans women of color —to say it’s different, we have some [stakes] that we have to follow. We don't just show pretty, we show everything. We show talent. It’s a whole package at this point. People come here and pay a ticket price and come in like they would at the theater. 

When the queen comes out, it’s not about collecting tips. It’s a show, give the audience a show. That’s what they came here to see. We require different looks, we require different — you've got to give us more. This is a show bar. You can’t come in on the stage and say “it’s off the rack!”

 

TELL ME ABOUT WHAT YOU HAVE PLANNED FOR PRIDE MONTH!

AEM: My main focus this year was to get us back in the parade, so we’re back in the parade. You’ll see a big bus filled with drag Queens, Kings, and Things. Plus some of our staff. So we went all out this year. We got a sponsor this year for the bus. I get a little emotional. My roommate passed away in February. [He was] an avid lover of drag. His spouse sponsored the bus this year. But we’re gonna celebrate, that’s what we’re gonna do. So we’re back in the parade this year. 

Putting this together has been like a two month ordeal. Booking out the shows is easy — find the right mix of shows, “Do you want to do it? Do you want to do it?” But learning the parade part, dealing with the bus companies, and the sponsor, and the Boston Pride for the People, and now it’s down to the wire and everything is in place and I'm coordinating my people. I have a great staff. 

We’re just trying to put a lot of “Different” in here. Don't get me wrong, I love traditional drag. It’s there, it’s always going to be there. But the exciting stuff you see is when you come out and see something very new, very different. 

 

AT WERS THIS MONTH WE’RE PLAYING 75 ARTISTS OF PRIDE. WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR MUSICAL ARTISTS OF PRIDE?

AEM: For me, the problem with this question is it’s loaded! I’m an older millennial. So I go back to Donna summers. That’s my childhood. But I can go as far as Gaga, Born this Way. Or Keala Settle, This Is Me.

You can see more of Jacque’s Cabaret’s upcoming events on their website and Instagram.