A drag queen, a leather bondage aficionado, two parents who have hired a babysitter for the night and a trans model walk into a bar that Adelaide can finally call our very own.
News of a second gay venue opening in Adelaide surfaced mid-December with In The Dark Presents founder Stephen Craddock teasing a mystery location with à la mode disco-chic loos, a dedicated room to the art of ‘selfie’ and promise of an opulent cocktail list that would slide across your tongue and down the back of your throat with aplomb.
April’s arrival has delivered us a bouncing baby bar, with Mary’s Poppin an exercise in classy-kitsch, or contemporary lush as Glam like to think of it. Poking her little pink signage out into Synagogue place, the theatre of the narrow hallway and staircase set the mood for a grand reveal, where you’ll discover a bar confident in design, welcoming and social in layout and brimming with eye catching features.
Immediately you’re drawn to the glossy white baby grand piano in the corner which fronts the house DJ booth, with a deliciously ostentatious chandelier just behind. The stage space does not dominate the room but allows for performances to compliment the atmosphere. The work of international designer Michael Delany within the space has proven a masterstroke, with flawless attention to detail and never before seen features which we hope signal the evolution in small bar design in Adelaide. As usual, the LGBTIQ community is showing us the way.
The cocktail list crams a load of flavour onto its little white pages and while one could savour several Don Dunstans at once, there’s only so much Slong Island Ice Tea you can should have in one sitting…
Craddock and co. have gifted a sparkling jewel to Adelaide to crown the old synagogue. It also promises an exciting new space come Cabaret Festival time this June. Welcome dear Mary, we’ll lose count of the nights we spend inside you.
Mary’s Poppin
Synagogue Place, Adelaide
Thurs – Sat, 8pm to 3am.
Check out all the photos from the VIP Opening Night snapped by Eric W Brumfield…
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