This past Wednesday, I checked out the Edison’s new weekly event, Incandescence Wednesdays. Vaudeville circus/dance troupe Lucent Dossier was performing from the rafters, the stage and even from the floor among the audience. I usually don’t do nightclubs, where I’m sure this sorta thing happens a lot, so to see a spectacle like this at a downtown bar was quite a treat.
There was this scantily clad lady twirling from curtains hanging down from the ceiling. She could hold herself up with just her ankles! A sword dancer shimmied on stage alongside vaudevillian clowns. And circus-costumed folk pushed through the audience, claiming, “‘Scuse me, I need to catch my train” as they made their way toward the stage.
To enhance the surrealism of the night, there was a specialty cocktail list with libations made with absinthe. But they smartly masked that licorice taste that so many people (me) don’t like.
A few of the cocktails:
- Mr. Prosser’s Formula: Barsol Pisco (Blue Label), white grape juice, organic pineapple juice, lemon juice, simple syrup and absinthe
- Moonlight: Gin, Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth, Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur, St. Germaine, lemon juice and absinthe
- The 75: Calvados, Plymouth Gin, Absinthe, Monin Pomegranate syrup, and lemon juice
These drinks were served in vintage-looking glass bottles that had stickers slapped on them promising the “Miracle Elixir of Life,” while shots came in even smaller square glass bottles that were corked. Each cocktail bottle held enough liquid for about two pours. The best part, at least to me, was that we could take these bottles home! Mine are currently sitting on my armoire in my boudoir.
Truth be told, I wasn’t crazy about the absinthe cocktails I tried. Too juice-y for my tastes. And one of them, the 75 I think, kicked my ass! Stronggg! So I ordered up the Edison’s chocolate cocktail, the grand Scharffen Berger Napoleon ($13), which appears on the cocktail menu every night. So rich and yummy!
I briefly contemplated asking my drinking companions to go in on a dessert sampler ($20) with me. This one comes with cookies and vanilla-infused milk, PB and banana sandwiches served with Cajeta caramel sauce, cupcakes and “a surprise!” But then the chocolate cocktail quickly took care of that desire.
Since my group of four and I had arrived early, we were able to score a corner booth where we held court for the rest of the night. A couple was already sitting there and was nice enough to let us scooch in with them. From here we could people watch to our hearts’ content, commenting on the not-so-snazzy dressers (“Is she supposed to be a Super Mario Brother? What’s with the white suspenders?”) and the interesting cast of characters walking by. Every now and then I would jump up to take pictures of the performances on stage and from the ceiling. But it was nice to have a cushy seat to return to.
At one point, an odd woman came up to us wearing an organic strawberry cotton candy wig and bra asking us to take a piece. The pink cotton candy wasn’t the fluffy kind but rather the matted-down kind, reminding me of the sort you find in sealed foil bags at grocery stores. But I reluctantly pulled a piece from her wig and took a taste.
Yea, it was awright. “Are you going to walk around asking people to pull off pieces until you have none left?” I asked her. “Uh huh!” she said in her theatrical baby doll voice. I wish I got a picture of that later. I wonder if she disappeared before she was balded?
We ended up staying til about 11 or so. It was a school night after all. But I sorta wished I could have stayed longer. There were still many more shows to go, I’m sure.
So Lucent Dossier will perform at the Edison every other Wednesday at 8pm. I suggest getting there before 8 so that you only have to pay $10 for cover. After 8pm, you’ll find yourself having to fork over $20. Also, getting there early will give you a better chance to find a nice place to sit.
EVENT: EVERY OTHER WEDNESDAY at 8pm
More pictures of Incandescence Wednesday at the Edison.
The Edison
108 W 2nd Street
Los Angeles, California 90012 (map)
(213) 613-0000