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Boston's Best Spots For Cabaret

Looking for something unique in live entertainment amid Boston's vibrant nightlife scene? Well, cabaret is alive and well throughout the city's nooks and crannies, providing a wide variety of music and performance options for those seeking something a little different. Whether your tastes crave a quiet evening of old torch song standards or some bawdy comedy and dance, there's a cabaret spot for you in Boston.
Nightlife & Music Blues Bars, Scullers Jazz Club
Photo Credit: scullersjazz.com


Scullers Jazz Club

Doubletree Suites by Hilton Hotel Boston
400 Soldiers Field Road
Boston, MA 02134
(617) 562-4111
scullersjazz.com

Scullers Jazz Club is quite simply one of the best venues in the city for top-quality jazz. It has a national reputation for providing its patrons with an opportunity to enjoy the talents of some of the premiere names in the industry including Harry Connick Jr., Chris Botti, Michael Bublé, Arturo Sandoval and many more. The musical menu at Scullers is as diverse as it is entertaining by featuring contemporary and Latin jazz, blues, soul, cabaret, R&B and world music. Scullers has been voted "Boston's #1 Jazz Club" by a number of publications for its unique blend of talent that features young newcomers and respected elder jazz musicians. You'll come away from any evening at Scullers with an experience you'll long remember and be anxious to repeat.

Nightlife & Music Single Bars, Club Cafe Boston
Photo Credit: Club Cafe Boston via Facebook

Club Cafe
209 Columbus Ave
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 536-0966
clubcafe.com

Club Cafe is one of Boston's most vibrant nightspots, featuring an eclectic mix of dancing, dining and cabaret entertainment. For three decades, this popular Boston venue has gained a loyal following — especially among the gay community — for its truly unique roster of cutting-edge performing artists, comedians, singers and musical entertainment. Open seven nights a week, Club Cafe's famed Napoleon Room presents an intimate setting that regularly features Michelle Curie every Tuesday night, as well as the talents of many other cabaret performers and musicians. If you're looking for a great evening of bawdy laughs, exquisite singing, wonderful piano artistry and much more, Club Cafe will definitely be your cup of tea.

Related: Boston's Best Historical Sites

boston baby dolls
(Photo Credit: Boston Baby Dolls/Facebook)

Boston Baby Dolls
The Dollhouse
The Estate
1 Boylston Place
Boston, MA 02116
(617) 869-2000
bostonbabydolls.net

If you're looking for an evening that evokes the glamour, musicality and fun, coquettish sexiness of burlesque's golden era, then the Boston Baby Dolls are just the dash of evening cabaret spice you need. This talented ensemble of performers skillfully bring back the days of Gypsy Rose Lee when a mix of saucy shakes, sassy shimmies and tantalizing tassel twirls combined with a comedic twist were a genuinely unique form of bawdy entertainment. The Boston Baby Dolls have received rave reviews coast to coast for its vast repertoire of dazzlingly-choreographed, sensual dance routines topped off with a healthy dose of comedy. Each three-hour show is guaranteed to jump start your heart and bring a smile to your face.

Regattabar
Charles Hotel
1 Bennett St
Cambridge, MA 02138
(617) 661-5000
regattabarjazz.com

The Regattabar opened its doors in Boston in 1985, and ever since, it has been a gateway to some of the city's best jazz music and live performances. Not only does this deeply-established jazz venue offer some of the finest in evening entertainment; but also, it provides a variety of musical extras that include Kids Summer Music Series, bringing the flavor of jazz to young people and their families. Regattabar also partners with the Berklee College of Music to present a summer Courtyard Series featuring a variety of young, up-and-coming talent. It's Regattabar's mix of nightly entertainment coupled with local musical roots, talents and groups that make the Regattabar experience one that's truly for the connoisseur of fine jazz.

Encore Lounge
Courtyard Marriott
275 Tremont St
Boston, MA 02216
(617) 728-2162
facebook.com/encoreloungeboston

Located inside the Courtyard Marriott in Boston, the Encore Lounge is one of the few actual piano bars in the city providing nightly entertainment in a relaxed, informal setting. This intimate venue provides live musicians and singers each night of the week. Many regulars say they enjoy the nightly diversity of music styles that include pop classics, show tunes and jazz that often appeal to everyone. Occasionally, patrons are invited to join in on the open mike to sing along with the evening's main entertainer. The Encore Lounge provides a wonderful atmosphere where its nightly music and performers create a great place to relax before or after a show in the city's Theater District. It's an intimate little pit stop where cabaret entertainment can be enjoyed over a drink with friends.

Related: Boston's Best Places To See Ballet

Tim Estiloz is an experienced, two-time Emmy-winning TV journalist / performer with over a decade of covering entertainment news and features. Based in Boston, Tim is also a voting member of the prestigious Broadcast Film Critics Association which awards the annual Critics' Choice Awards in Hollywood. Tim has interviewed and profiled dozens of Hollywood's top Oscar-winning film and television actors, including Meryl Streep, Will Smith, Kate Winslet, Brad Pitt and more. Actor/director Ben Affleck also cast him for a speaking role as a TV reporter in his critically acclaimed film "Gone Baby Gone." Find his work on Examiner.com. Contact him direct at Estiloz@aol.com or follow him on Twitter @TimEstiloz

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