Darcelle’s asks for Portland’s support as threat of closure looms

The future of Portland’s iconic drag club, Darcelle’s XV Showplace, is uncertain. After 57 years in Old Town, the historic venue is in danger of closing.

KATU’s Angelica Thornton sat down with Kevin Cook, who performs as Poison Waters, to talk about what it’ll take to keep the doors open. It’s tough for Cook to even think about the end of Darcelle’s.

"To me, Darcelle’s means a second home," said Cook. "It’s a place of acceptance, a place of growth. I’m certainly not the man I was when I walked in."

Following flagging visitor attendance, the club first sounded the alarm last summer – but now things are even more dire.

"I’d hate to say it, but going in the new year we’re kind of looking four to six weeks at a time," Cook said.

Poison Waters has been performing at Darcelle’s for 34 years, dazzling people from around the world with her warm and quick-witted personality. The club’s Las Vegas-style cabaret revues of glitz, glamour, and comedy help audiences celebrate everything there is to celebrate; birthdays, bachelorettes, or just a regular Friday night. Poison Waters took over as the leader of Portland’s drag community after Walter Cold, aka Darcelle, the oldest working drag queen in the world, died in 2023.

And they were big heels to fill.

"It’s a lot of pressure," said Cook. "I try my best to make Darcelle proud, to keep the integrity of the club, and the history. It’s something that I’ve always valued in my position here."

But Cook admits things aren’t going well.

"I wish I could say ‘they’re going great. We have lines out the door,’ but that’s just not the reality. And there are lots of factors behind that," Cook explained.

Darcelle’s is located in Old Town, a neighborhood struggling with crime and homelessness. But Cook says those problems are nothing new, and that’s not what’s squeezing the business.

He thinks the economy is the main culprit. Costs have skyrocketed and people don’t have as much money for fun in their budget.

"Less customers means less money. The overhead is still the same regardless of how many people come in," said Cook.

https://katu.com/news/local/celebrated-drag-venue-darcelles-asks-for-portlands-support-as-threat-of-closure-looms

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Author: KATU News
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News post in at: October 31, 2024, 3:02 am.

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