Interview: Bourbon Room's Matthew Weaver's Appropriately Nicknamed 'Dreamweaver the Believer'

The Bourbon Room was on a clear path to become the go-to cabaret nightclub in Hollywood when the pandemic hit. With a soft opening of shows REVERIE and Derek Klena earlier this month, the Bourbon Room celebrates its grand re-opening July 29, 2021 featuring Broadway stalwart Shoshana Bean.

Had the chance to chat with Bourbon Room owner Matthew Weaver about the fateful past year and the hopeful future.

Thank you for taking the time for this interview, Matthew!

You will celebrate The Bourbon Room's grand re-opening July 29th with a show by Shoshana Bean. You've already presented REVERIE, a most entertaining, crazy variety/cabaret show featuring Brian Justin Crum and Katya Zamolodchikova earlier in the month (which I totally enjoyed!). How was it to have people physically inhabit The Bourbon Room after all these quarantined months?

Obviously, it was an incredible feeling after spending a year and half closed. The Bourbon Room is a joyous place, from ROCK OF AGES to Shoshana Bean. It is all about celebrating and we're thrilled to have people back.

When did you first become the owner of The Bourbon Room?

We officially opened in December of 2019. We got the keys in June of 2019, and spent those months designing the space.

What shows were you in the middle of when everything closed down March 2020?

We were in the middle of ROCK OF AGES, as well as building up our other content. We were working on a comedy show with Jay Pharoah and booking other bands to perform at The Bourbon Room. When we had to shut down, we were only twelve weeks into opening and ROCK OF AGES was our main focus.

Were you liable for any of the pandemic months' rent?

Yes, of course, but we have amazing owners who have been so incredible working with us to stay open. Nobody gets a free ride!

Were you able to get any government loans or funding?

We were able to get a PPP loan, and are actively trying to get a Save Our Stages grant. We wouldn't have made it without the PPP loan.

Was it difficult to staff The Bourbon Room after all these months of unemployment benefits?

100%. We were lucky to have an incredible base of employees who were so excited about coming back to The Bourbon Room. The Bourbon Room is such a fun and creative place to work at, and I think that has played a factor in our ability to hire staff. Nobody is miserable at The Bourbon Room!

You don't have to limit the tickets you're selling for social distancing, do you?

We aren't limiting our ticket sales at the moment. We are extremely conscious about everyone's safety and are following all the current guidelines. We will continue to monitor guidelines and will not cut any corners.

Are you confident enough to order your usual full orders of food and liquor now? Or are you cautiously ordering a little less for the moment?

Our business has been remarkable the past couple of weeks, and we've been ordering full food and liquor orders. We're about to open 7 days a week and will continue with those full orders.

After all this time not being turned on, did you find your sound and lighting equipment needed a little tweak?

We kept testing out our equipment throughout the pandemic and they just needed a little maintenance before reopening. We take pride in the quality of our sound and lighting equipment at The Bourbon Room are careful about keeping up with them.

How about all your kitchen apparatus?

Our kitchen equipment just needed industrial cleaning. We opened with brand new equipment and only used it for twelve weeks before closing.

Up next at The Bourbon Room will be a concert by Alisan Porter (August 1st), followed by For The Record's TARANTINO LIVE: FOX FORCE FIVE & THE TYRANNY OF EVIL MEN. What other shows are you close to announcing?

We just announced SOUNDCHECK LIVE and are working on some special performances that we will announce soon. Make sure to follow @bourbonroomhollywood for updates.

Do you have a wish list of cabaret performers that you'd love to have appear at The Bourbon Room?

There's so many. Hugh Jackman, Ben Platt, and Audra McDonald would be a dream. My nickname is 'Dreamweaver the Believer,' so don't bet against me!

Thank you again, Matthew! I look forward to participating in your grand re-opening July 29th with Shoshana Bean.

For tickets for the live re-opening of the Bourbon Room featuring Shoshana Bean July 29th, as well as future Bourbon Room shows; log onto www.bourbonroomhollywood.com

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