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The Fox Cinema has been cleaned! Please welcome the Fox Cabaret.

Above photo by: Jason Vanderhill Last weekend for the second time in my life I visited 2321 Main Street: once as the Fox Cinema, and recently as the Fox Cabaret.
Alexis Baran

 

In 2013 The Fox Theatre closed down, arguably ending an era for the neighbourhood where Kingsway begins. Not many in the hood will mourn the corner of paid sexual adventures for anything except the sense of seedy history and camp it added to the intersection. Up until recently, it wasn’t the only sexpot on the block. In 2008 the Uranus Show Lounge, a strip club across from Kingsgate mall where a Starbucks has since sprouted, closed its doors for good.

Foxby_Jason_Vanderhill_smallAbove photo by: Jason Vanderhill Last weekend for the second time in my life I visited 2321 Main Street: once as the Fox Cinema, and recently as the Fox Cabaret.  A former purveyor of adult film, the location has been thoroughly scrubbed, painted, and become a habitable place for groups of people to drink, dance, and even sit on the provided seats without fear of exposed springs or unidentified moisture. The dank has been carved away (and possibly incinerated offsite) by Arrival Agency, the same fun folks who threw us all parties at The Waldorf.

 

 Possibly the last trace of exotic entertainment, Kingsgate’s Scalie shoes, known for the wide selection of acetate-heeled platforms (some with built-in money slots) had its last “closing out” sale this year, and to the dismay of many shoe lovers, has actually closed this time.

 

The Fox Theatre was fully operational as a porn theatre when I visited on Thanksgiving day, 2010.
Fox_BeforeYour humble narrator, four years ago, enjoying the scenery. Photos by Keeko Page.

Four short years ago, after a few pitchers of sangria from neighbouring nacho experts, The Foundation, a group of friends and I emptied our pockets of change and onto the lone employee’s counter and successfully bartered our way into the empty theatre. The first thing I noticed was how brightly lit it was for a theatre in the middle of showing a film. As we pattered down the centre aisle, it was clear we wouldn’t be sitting down to take in the show. The seats had been massacred long ago, their yellowed cotton was weeping onto the floor with their springs on full alert. The chipped walls had ball-point pen and marker grafitti with warnings such as “all exposed c**ks will be sucked.” The feeling of awkward intrusion soon subsided, and we climbed onto the stage to take touristy photos with fellatio projected across our faces, attempted to climb the seats, and brazenly inspected the perimeter. To our dismay, nothing found was more scandalous than the theatre itself.

FoxWide1_smallFox Cinema. Photo by Keeko Page

Fox_Interior_smallFox Cabaret. Photo by Alexis

The Fox Cabaret is notably less brightly lit than the Fox Cinema. It’s also probably a better place for a date, and you can even feel comfortable putting something from the new adaptation in your mouth (the drinks!)

The Fox Cabaret is open for business this Saturday with DJs spinning 45’s all night.