Reviews

Recently my journalism professor shared a cautionary tale. Many years ago, he told us, a journalist was sent to review a play at a local theatre. Bored to tears, the hapless reviewer left long before the curtain fell.

Returning to his desk he trotted out a scathing critique, filed the story and put the paper to bed. The next day his piece was buried in the back pages. The front page lead? In its final act, the theatre burned to the ground.

The moral of the story had not escaped me as I rolled up to the Gentleman’s Club cocktail evening last Friday intent on staying the course. Freezing outside at midnight in the Riccarton Club car park as screeching fire alarms announced the premature conclusion of the evening, this rookie reviewer was proud as punch.

But the evening wasn’t all drama. From the outset, the suave team behind the Gentlemen’s Club showed that they sure know how to put on a good show.

Most punters paid around $50 for the sold-out event, while some earned their night out by means of some skilful Photoshopping. But despite the evening being cut short, the general consensus was that all got their money’s worth. 

The clientele was decidedly fresh-faced. Fourth years were left feeling old and jaded as doe-eyed first years had the time of their lives in shoe-boots. One sparkly red haired fresher shared her appraisal of the evening: “I love how we made all these friends in the toooooiiiilet!”

Equally saccharine were the cocktails. By my second cosmopolitan I was diabetic.

Highlights included the acoustic guitar duo, Button Up to Paradise, who managed to make the kind of Top 40 songs last heard at The Bush sound charming, and the friendly GC execs who manned the bar deserve special mention for stretching the $1000 bar tab to the hilt for a large turnout.

Cover band Cropduster showed they are true entertainers and had the packed dance floor in their pockets from the first song.

I’m not sure whether the crowd was riding a sugar high from the dubiously named “liquid cocaine” concoction, or if students simply needed to let off some steam after a few claustrophobic months spent in tents, but judging by the way the crowd begged to be allowed to party through the fire alarm, it seemed GC’s cocktail evening was just the ticket.

The verdict? Gentlemen’s Club puts on a classy event, but not too classy. And that’s how UC likes it.