South Beach

Most nights in South Beach clubland breakdown along one of two lines: DJ-driven events where the music is the the big draw, or velvet rope affairs where genetically-blessed hipsters frolic the night away while the less-fab plebeians wait patiently outside the ropes for their big chance at stardom. It has become highly predictable and frankly, quite boring.

However, once in a great while a spark of creativity ignites something completely different and serves to redefine the nightclub experience—something like the new Chat Noir Club at Dream on Washington Avenue.

Chat Noir Club is a bohemian culture cabaret show featuring everything from song and dance laced with comedy, to more exotic displays of exhibitionism such as contortionists, fire acts and even dramatic theatre set to music.

The night is produced by Mykel Stevens (creator of Miami Beach’s previous Monday night heavyweight, Back Door Bamby), Luis Canales, Christopher McCoy and orchestrated by bon vivant, Gilbert Stafford. The show begins quite early—around 10:30PM—which is a god-send for those few people in South Beach who actually have jobs.

On a recent Monday night the entertainment at Chat Noir included 3 separate stage shows throughout the night presented by famed Miami performance troupe Circ X. The night was MC’d by “Octifa” (CircX founding member Octavio Campos), who launched the evening with a scorchingly live rendition of “New York New York” interspersed with his own lyrics which portrayed his heart-felt disdain for “this f**king Miami Beach.” Rather touching in its own perverse little way…

Next up, a girl group doing Cher’s "Shoop Shoop Song" which rolled along quite nicely until one of the back-up singers miscued and wound up receiving a severe beat-down with the lead singer’s wig being used as the weapon of choice.

Then came the beguiling Adora, that alluring vision of nocturnal loveliness whose operatic performance possessed so much vibrato, her tongue looked like a neurotic salamander on the verge of exiting her head. Always a show-stopper, that Queen Adora.

Then there were the two guys doing a live Gun & Roses song…and another guy doing gymnastics…one other guy on stilts…and of course our personal favorite, those mischievous little imps crawling along the floor that seemed to appear out of nowhere wagging their tongues at the camera.

A night at the Chat Noir Club is an experience unique in all of South Beach. Its visuals are reminiscent of the dark theatrics of early 20th century Paris and pre-war Berlin—from the sultry girls dancing behind glass enclosures, to the 7-foot tall heavily-horned “Pan” that romps through the crowd stopping only to survey the girls he intends to mate with—the Chat Noir Club is a weekly event destined for the nightclub hall of fame.

Monday nights in South Beach now belong to the Chat Noir Club.             ...MORE PHOTOS HERE »

Dream
1532 Washington Avenue
Miami Beach, FL
305.674.8018