August 8, 2003

For law-abiding citizens, the 13 years between 1920 and 1933 was one long, dry nightmare of forced sobriety.

Thankfully, a hearty group of patriotic revolutionaries (also known as gangsters) understood the need for Joe Q. to get a slug or two after a hard day’s work, and a place to unwind and enjoy it. Thus was born the speakeasy.

A scurrilous den of ill repute, sin and imbibery, the speakeasy was a hidden hangout for those who turned their noses, and flasks up at the prohibition-era laws. They sprang up all over the country, in big cities and small towns alike. The entrances were snookered away in back alleys or swampy woods, as far from the prying eyes of snitches and the law as possible.

The High Street Speakeasy may not be knee-deep in bogmarsh, but it’s certainly in a part of town you won’t find your average LoDo-ite. Its north Denver neighborhood is just beginning to experience the same kind of renaissance that revitalized the Baker or Highland neighborhoods. But it’s very much in that early stage of urban revitalization, so needless to say, it’s fairly authentic in its less-than welcoming environs.

Nonetheless, once you get past the front door, the High Street Speakeasy is as congenial a joint as you’ll find anywhere in the Mile High city.

Blend it with some flesh and pasties, and you’ve got one of the best spots in town. Which is exactly what they did when the Cobra, his personal enabler and I stopped in on a recent turn for some bourbon and burlesque entertainment.

Harking back to the days before rap videos and Scores, the burlesque phenomenon started making its comeback right around the time the swing fad started drying up. Still buoyed by the need for nostalgic whimsy, burlesque fans enjoy the blending of old-timey goodness with a little campy titilation. The Burlesque As it Was troupe provides both in abundance — gorilla costumes, six-shooters and feather boas littered the dressing room as the ladies put the tease back in the striptease, all without showing any more flesh than you’d see on prime-time network television.

David Booker added the necessary period musical background, at times ably subbing in for a skipping CD. As always, it’s better to hire a live band than a DJ ...

Meanwhile, drinks were served by Kalib and Sharon, sporting white shirts and ties, reminding the patrons that there was a time when bartending was a profession, and it should be approached as such. Indeed, the two took their jobs very seriously. In fact, Sharon went to great pains to make sure everyone sitting at her bar was having a good time. I gotta say, her winsome banter would have charmed the mousse right out of Ryan Seacrest’s hair.

The joint itself is still a work in progress. The bar is an ornate centerpiece. Indeed, most everything else still feels vaguely institutional, perhaps due to the lack of windows. Although, being a speakeasy, that’s probably by design.

http://cfapp.rockymountainnews.com/nightlife/index.cfm?denverBuzz=true