Recently Northeast LGBTQ* hot spot Lush has been through some rough times. Long time fans of the bar were even a bit worried about if it could continue after recent turmoil. But, under new ownership Lush is thriving with tons of great new changes and something even more necessary in that pocket of Minneapolis: nighttime entertainment.

Lush’s recently opened performance venue is already attracting big names like local burlesque star Sweetpea and drag legend Dee Richards to the stage. The show producer list is just as impressive — Elektra Cute and Black Hearts Burlesque run the new weekly ladies night on Fridays, and Victoria DeVille runs the new drag mainstay, #dragrevolution.

In addition to these two events, Thursdays have a go-go boy contest, and Wednesday nights have #dragevolution — an amateur contest where winners can take on the #dragrevolution stage if they succeed. Sundays are packed full of amazing events with drag brunch during the day, and piano bar style karaoke in the evening. On top of all that, the new Lush does something bars are not expected to do — fulfill a commitment to do good in our local LGBTQ* community. There was a free community meal on Thanksgiving, and they are snagging sponsors to make all of this really wonderful entertainment as affordable as possible.

Of all the new shows and events running weekly, I am most excited to catch drag brunch, but haven’t been able to yet. I did check out both new weekend evening shows, however, and I was incredibly impressed. I’m a pretty seasoned drag and burlesque groupie, and while I love the art forms and the community they foster, it takes a lot for me to blown away. I adore the names involved and made myself go in with no expectations, but even if I had expected a certain level of quality, the new shows are nearly perfect.

Friday night is the all new ladies night at Lush, called Crush. Prior to the dance party (on this night led by DJ Shannon Blowtorch!), Elektra Cute and Black Hearts Burlesque do a show that’s about an hour long with an intermission. The roster does change, but always lists some of the biggest names in burlesque. On the night I attended, Queenie Von Curves, Sweetpea, Foxy Tan, Kitson Sass & Pistol Prudence, along with Elektra Cute herself, performed and Victoria DeVille hosted. That’s an impressive list that excelled even beyond the hype. I have seen most of these performers countless times, and I’d even seen some of these numbers before, but I was riveted the entire time.

The energy from performers and audience was electric. Everyone was thrilled to be there, and we just got more ecstatic as the show went on. Legends like Foxy Tan and Sweetpea certainly lived up to their hype, but managed not to overshadow other performers, making for a really even, cohesive show. Every act was enthralling, and what impressed me the most was that every act was different. It is not uncommon to go to a burlesque show and realize many of the performers train in the same class, work together frequently, or were taught the same things as the show goes on. As much as I love burlesque, it can feel tired after a bit. Even though I know for a fact many of these performers work together very, very frequently, this was not a one- or two-trick formulaic but an aesthetically successful burlesque show. This was art, and it was a true celebration of all types of beautiful bodies. It was exactly what burlesque is supposed to be.

The house was packed for the Black Hearts on Friday, and it was all genders, all ages, and all revved up about the show. The audience present for a show does say something about the venue and what they are curating, and what this tells me is that Lush is actively working to include all who consider themselves a member of this community, and actively working to serve that audience. This is a substantial improvement over the old Lush — and to be honest a substantial improvement over many of the existing community bars in the city. This message of inclusivity hit again when host Victoria DeVille announced the go-go boy contest, and then immediately clarified it was open to anyone who identifies as male or on the male side of the spectrum. I know from Facebook conversations that their #dragevolution drag contest is available to all types of drag — something many drag shows who have been around far longer have yet to embrace.

Even with a packed house, drinks on Friday night came out quick enough for most people and bartenders stayed upbeat and on top of things. I don’t expect or even like my nighttime entertainment to be flawless and pristine. Even so, there was only one audio issue that the audience caught, and a few very minor things otherwise. Even the pickiest of audience members couldn’t argue that this alone surpasses expectations for nighttime entertainment that changes weekly.

Saturday night I was not in the mood to go to a show. This is worth mentioning because within minutes of #dragrevolution starting I was just as excited to be there as the previous night. Endlessly charismatic host Victoria DeVille gets a large amount of credit for that, but the first performer — Bad Karma, and the audience also deserve some too. This audience was still perfectly respectable but not as packed as Friday night. They were, however, every bit as electric. Victoria DeVille is always amazing as both a host and performer, but I didn’t know what to expect from her or this show.

In many ways this is a standard drag show — performers get two sets each, one in the first half and one after intermission. This show was really short, and I rarely go to a show and think “I would have watched twenty more minutes of that,” but with this one, I did. It came in under two hours, and even shorter when you take the late start into account. I’m not sure if this is typical or not, but for many audience members this is great — you can catch some of the best Twin Cities drag artists without being totally broken and exhausted the next day if you have to get up early. This was another one where I would have accepted a messier show, but in spite of a slightly rough start after DeVille’s mic stopped working right after her first song, it was completely smooth sailing after that. It’s no easy feat to put six or eight big personalities with big performances together for one event, let alone nightly, and the fact that the shows are running so smoothly says so much about how professional and dedicated the performers and the venue are.

Performing on Saturday besides Victoria DeVille were Bad Karma, Karmaree Williams, Genevee Love, Roxy Marquis, and local legend Dee Richards. Having seen several of these performers when they worked at the Gay ’90s, even after Friday night’s surprises, I still didn’t expect to see these queens totally transformed and bringing me a completely fresh show. It was no surprise to many local audience members when several queens decided to move on from the former venue. The show had been stale, the energy staler, and audiences were getting smaller and smaller. Apparently, audiences were not alone in this thought as these performers came out for #dragrevolution totally recharged and on fire. They have always been technically great performers, but that “it” factor that had been missing came roaring back with the shift in venue. Not everyone performing on Friday night had defected from another show, but I have seen them all, and what Lush is doing with the venue seems to have inspired them all similarly.

There were one or two performances I personally didn’t think were as strong, and across the board the show was more uniform in style than Friday night’s show, featuring primarily high energy pop music with the occasional big ballad. I would have loved to see styles jump around a bit more. The show was cohesive, with the performers seemingly communicating well with each other and trusting each other and us as audience. From the audience point of view, it looked like the show ran smoothly, was awesomely performed, and that the performers wanted to be there. If you’ve seen these stars before, it was also apparent how newly inspired and eager to reach new audiences they were. Victoria DeVille’s performances did add some variety to the show’s genres, and her hosting was really special. I occasionally host things and always feel really awkward when it gets to the part where I have to start promoting other shows, and DeVille made us feel like part of the conversation and new Lush community, instead of audience members she was charged with announcing things to. She is a big reason the show stayed so high energy, but the amount of fun and love between the performers added further to what was already a beautiful drag show.

The audience was completely sucked into this show — people were lining up to give tips, and these incredible performers managed to see nearly all of the tippers individually while still performing brilliantly. The attention and care that the cast members gave to audience and each other is not a normal sight at a lot of drag shows. It is one of the many things that makes #dragrevolution so good, other than the fact that as drag artists, the cast just IS so good. Even with the minor critiques, this is one of the best drag shows I have seen in the past couple of years.

I had friends with me both nights, and both Friday and Saturday night, various friends remarked that this was their favorite show they’d seen in awhile. I wholeheartedly concurred. Seeing the shows back to back did not exhaust or bore me like normally it may have, and instead made me look for a chance to come back to the other events. You will soon see me at the Cast Singalong — the piano bar style karaoke I mentioned, and drag brunch, as well as frequenting these two events. Lush used to be my neighborhood bar, until I moved. Now I am willing to go out of my way to attend as if I still live right there. Lush is creating a space where performers will thrive, and audiences will connect, and they are doing that in part by bringing us some of the best nighttime art and entertainment the Twin Cities has seen.