ManRay reopens: ‘The entire evening just filled my black heart with joy’
The nightclub ManRay opened Saturday at 40 Prospect St., Central Square, relocated after a gap of more than 17 years – it closed across the square at 21 Brookline St. in July 2005. The night was an RSVP event, and by the time doors opened at 9 p.m., the line to get in stretched around the block to a Massachusetts Avenue T stop. Cambridge Day asked Athena Costa, a veteran of the original ManRay, to give us her reactions to the new club.
The new ManRay on Saturday. (Photo: Mario Buttali)
After waiting in a line reminiscent of the old concert ticket times on a chilly night, we were finally transported back “home” in a reincarnation of our beloved ManRay nightclub. This is what happens when you really believe.
Like a phoenix awakened with the most perfect lighting and sound. Beautiful, shimmering and the most precise shade of darkness to envelop you upon arrival in the main room. The new ManRay venue is a fantastic open space with an ample dance floor and stage and three bars – including one in a separate lounge area. And if you’ve ever been to a goth or gay night in the area, you’ll quickly recognize the bartenders, go-go dancers, event staff, coat check and security people as well.
People queue up Saturday to get into ManRay in Central Square. (Photo: Marc Levy)
I don’t mean to get teary-eyed, but it was a glorious “family” reunion from near and far with lots of excitement and hugs, including applause for resident DJ Chris Ewen, who absolutely slayed with the tracks … Depeche Mode’s “Home” really sums it up for the night, as well as Ed’s killer performance of “Vogue” and a rowdy “Du Hast” rock out. Just like the old days, the anxiety melts away on the dance floor and you’re in the zone.
The entire evening just filled my black heart with joy. The new club is fantastic, and the hangover was worth its weight in gold. ManRay is back and our “family” of weirdos, goths, lgbtq+ and alt kids can finally return home.
Well clearly the editor was not there. Because the doors did NOT open at 9 p.m.
Or even 9:30 p.m.
No communication. No information to the people queued outside since 8:30 or earlier in the bitter cold, mostly in outfits that provide little warmth in the summer.
9:45 pm? Not really.
And then barely a shuffle. 2 inches a minute maybe?
By this point people in line were good and messed up.
The dude in front of me with breath so bad I could smell him six feet away…..he had to time to go the liquor store three times for “nips”.
The gal next to him? Trying to wrap her trembling lips around a little glass pipe while trying to light her weed with a Bic lighter. It’s 2023 get yourself an electric pipe already.
But it is was the drunk group of boys behind me that really took the cake. At first I was simply amused at their stories of how they had gone out that day to buy their outfits. My pants were probably older than them.
About 9:30 p.m. and no word on WTF was going on….one of them started rumbling how he had “THOUSANDS of followers on Yelp and he would sink this place”…..ummmm ok…..
Perhaps realizing that was not enough, he mentioned how his sister had TENS of thousands of follows on Instagram. Oh no, now I’m trembling.
No really, I was trembling…..but it was because the bitter cold and the fact that skin tight vinyl makes a poor insulator.
It is when the dude made the tone deaf comment about “putting a bullet in someone’s head if they didn’t open soon” that I turned to my significant other and asked their opinion.
It was almost 10 pm, the line had barely moved, and we would just have to deal with more of “this” as we battled our way thru coat check and drink orders.
We decided to cut our losses, had a lovely couple of cocktails at Viale and then went home and did what we would have done anyway….wink wink.
We’ll try again in the summer when weather is better, the nostalgia wave is over, the kiddies have gone back home for the summer, and Manray’s has its act together more.