SPEAKEASY is Sexy Fun in Times Square — Review

The last time I was at Bond 45, the famed New York eatery, was November 17, 2019. I was grabbing a cocktail on opening night of The Inheritance as the reviews started to roll in waiting for my late night performance of Freestyle Love Supreme across the street. I didn’t imagine paying the bill and walking out that it would be over 20 months until I would return — and I certainly couldn’t have imagined what was in store for me upon my arrival at Speakeasy: Times Square. 

As you descend the stairs into Bond 45’s cellar, you are immediately handed a rather delicious craft cocktail (the first of five) and shown to your seats for an unforgettable evening of burlesque and belting. My party and I immediately made friends with our table-mates and reminisced how strange it was to be out in public with strangers once again. 

As the lights went down, the lady of the evening and emcee, Madam Lulu, (a fierce Jada Temple) welcomed us to her palace and introduced us to her gaggle of ladies including Megan Campbell, Lauren Mary Moore, Sarah Meahl, and Morgan Bryant all ready to entertain, and entertain they did. With vibrant choreography from Michael Fatica and musical direction by Jacob Yates, you are entranced in an underground playground that washes away the past year and a half and invites you in with revelry. 

From producer and creator Holly-Anne Devlin, a mixture of Broadway, burlesque, and acrobatics fully immerses the audience in an intimate and exhilarating night out on the town. If you aren’t one for audience interaction, watch out — no one is off limits with Madam Lulu’s sexy entourage. 

Nightlife mainstays Tansy Burlesque, Peekaboo Pointe, and Audrey Love tantalize the crowd with all the glamour that has been missing from our lives throughout Covid. One of my personal favorite acts of the night was from Opera Gaga who wowed the crowd with her arias while upside down on the poll, a sentence this critic never thought he would have ever written. Aryn, known from “America’s Got Talent,” brought the audience to their feet for her unorthodox archery extravaganza. 

At the Speakeasy, it’s all about celebrating life and love, and Madam Lulu’s stirring rendition of “Happy Days Are Here Again” just might be worth the price of admission alone. Of course, no supper club is complete without the alcohol, and they certainly have you covered. Included with every ticket are all drinks that seem to come out just as you finish the last. 

You never know who you might see or run into Bond 45’s lower level hideaway. Sitting across from us at my particular performance was Broadway’s Bobby Conte Thornton and special guest Corey Mach ended the night with a rousing song from “The Greatest Showman.” Other stars who have made appearances include Timothy Hughes from Hadestown and Adam Roberts from Pippin.  

You’d be hard pressed to find a more enjoyable evening in Times Square right now than Speakeasy, so get your tickets and go live it up. 

Speakeasy has been extended by popular demand and will play through the summer with tickets on sale through August 28, 2021. For more information, visit here.