The Oriental Theater will be in full-blown rockabilly mode tonight and Saturday night for the Ghost Train Christmas shows, parts I and II. The parties are an extension of the popular weekly Ghost Train series at the theater; every Tuesday the Oriental pays homage to hot rods and hot rockabilly beats. Since it’s sponsored by Celebrity Tattoo, tattooed ladies drink free from 8 p.m.-10 p.m.
“The rockabilly nights on Tuesdays have done really well, so we’re just extending it for the whole weekend,” said Herb Greene, chef at the Oriental Theater’s Meltz Gourmet Grilled Cheese café. Greene will be pulling double duty this weekend as his band, Corruptor, shed their usual dance beats in favor of a country vibe to become Alt-Corruptor for tonight’s show.
Alt-Corruptor will be joined on stage tonight by The Culhanes, Rodney James and the Blue Flames, and Casey James Prestwood. Saturday night’s show features Ethyl & The Regulars, The Calf Branders, Fashion Show, Velvet Elvis with Oracle Dance, and DJ Kursed.
Both shows are $10 advance/ $12 at the door. 8 p.m., 21+, 303-455-2124 or orientaltheater.com.
Donkey Den out, Sutra Room in A VIP preview party next Thursday kicks off the latest round of restaurants and lounges housed in the space at 1109 Lincoln St. The Donkey Den is long gone, and the newest tenant is The Sutra Room, a new venture by Paul Piciocchi of downtown’s Tryst Lounge. (Piciocchi was also a partner in the short-lived Gavi restaurant which closed at the end of 2005.)
The intimate, 210-capacity club is housed in what was the rear of the former Donkey Den space; it includes 12 reservable booths positioned around a central dance floor, and a raised bottle service area with lounging beds and a private bathroom. The front half of the former Donkey Den location, including an expanded and remodeled patio, is scheduled to open in late January or February as Left on Lincoln, a casual patio bar.
“The space is going to be completely unrecognizable from Donkey Den,” Piciocchi said. “It’s very organic, with no plasma TVs or high-tech lights. Instead we’re going old school and elegant, with candles, water features, mirrors, and earth tones.”
And when Piciocchi says “organic,” he means it; plans for the entrance to The Sutra Room include a candlelit passage complete with real, soon-to-be-trampled indoor grass. “It’s going to be a lot of work,” he said.
The opening weekend is set to begin Thursday and continue through New Year’s Eve with a series of grand opening parties. Resident DJs Khadiwala and Amen will mash up a mix of ’80s pop, house, hip-hop and Latin beats, with a live drummer and stage dancers adding a live element to the weekly scene.
1109 Lincoln, open Thursday-Saturday 8 p.m-2 a.m. 720-771-5280.
Dinner to die for Solve a mystery. Catch the bad guy (or gal). Help a charity during the holiday season. Sounds like a win-win, right? Hit Dave & Buster’s (2000 S. Colorado Blvd.) tonight for the “Dinner to Die For” mystery dinner theater, an interactive whodunnit complete with actors and actresses performing three acts during the three courses of the meal.
Since the actors will also be serving dinner to each table, guests can question the characters, discuss the mystery, and compare notes in order to solve the murder mystery of the evening. A portion of the proceeds from tonight’s show will benefit the Food Bank of the Rockies; tickets run $34.95 per person for the 7 p.m. dinner, with half- price cocktails available from 6 p.m.-7 p.m.
If you can’t make it tonight, Dave & Buster’s will be hosting another – and different – mystery dinner on New Year’s Eve, benefiting the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Advance registration required; reserve your spot at blacktie-colorado.com.
Kat Valentine writes about nightlife Fridays in 7Days. Reach her at kat@kingproduction.com or call 303-954-1568.
