Soi Cowboy’s new ladyboy cabaret-style showbar, Showtime, opening Sept. with state-of the art sound and two 20-minute shows every hour.
Digital a-Go-Go got an exclusive sneak peek inside the showbar Thursday, just eight days ahead of the planned Showtime opening. All the major work is complete, with sound and lighting systems installed and a huge LED screen behind the stage now working. Sofas will be fitted on Friday.
Showtime Opening Marks Start of New Era
The Showtime opening will mark a new chapter for the two-shophouse venue that, since 2019, was home to, first, The Oasis and then Stumble Inn Soi Cowboy. Ownership remains the same, but the concepts are radically different.
With the Showtime opening, the two partners said they are aiming squarely at the mainstream tourist market, including couples and Asian tour groups. They believe the glossy showbar concept, patterned after Pattaya’s globally renowned Tiffany Show and Alcazar Cabaret, will draw in people uninterested or intimidated by Soi Cowboy’s standard go-go bars.
The shows – each 20-mintues long and held twice each hour – will feature elaborate costumes with feathers, headpieces and lots of glitter, as well as professional cabaret performers from Day 1 of the Showtime opening.
Stage and Lighting
They will dance on a stage where the beautiful Stumble Inn bar stood previously – the new smaller bar has been pushed to the back where the stage was – with a massive LED screen behind them adding to the visuals.
There will be no barfines, but lady drinks will be available.
Stage lighting features four moving heads, including spotlights that can track performers as they head downstairs to the stage. Projectors can throw dice and other artwork on the walls across the bar.
State-of-the-Art Sound
Sound has been completely revamped, with Stumbles speakers ripped out and replaced with a state-of-the art JBL sound system, Each 85,000-baht speaker has processors built in, eliminating the need for extra equipment. The sound and visuals will be orchestrated from a DJ stand immediately to the right as you enter.
The Showtime opening will see people pass through Stumble Inn’s old glass doors, which now have been frosted to impede lookie-loos. Inside, there will be two rows of stadium seating with a front row of low cocktail tables and seats.
The low seating was important so as not to block the view for those in bench seating behind, who already must contend with slightly obstructed views from three load-bearing pillars that could not be moved.
In total, the Showtime opening will see seating for about 90 people, although extra stools could be brought in if need be.
Upstairs No Longer Public
Those who remember the pool tables upstairs at Stumble Inn will be disappointed to hear that the upper floor is now closed. Before the Showtime opening, half of large pool hall has been turned into a spacious dressing room with the other half, leading out onto the balcony, left for relaxing and eating between shows.
Another Bold Bet?
Last decade’s opening of The Oasis was seen as a bold bet upon the family-friendly future of Soi Cowboy. Put on the map worldwide by a Tilac go-go bar scene in movie The Hangover Part II, Soi Cowboy quickly became a must-visit for western tourists visiting Bangkok, including women, couples and even families.
The bet was worth taking because the woman who owns the building set rent and key money at “a level where we could make money selling cheap beer and food,” a partner in the Oasis/Stumble Inn said this week. The, during Covid, she lowered rent even more and left it there until earlier this year.
However, about six month ago, the landlord told the four Stumble Inn partners that it was time to “go back to normal rent and key money”. Amortized over the length of the lease, that put the rent in the same stratosphere as some Nana Plaza go-go bars. The decision was made to close Stumble Inn, but with the idea of something new, more exciting and, hopefully, more profitable.
Are Ladyboys the Future?
Will ladyboys be more profitable than pints and footie? The Showtime partners believe so. The Stumble Inn Group, which retains majority control, already operates the Cockatoo and Showdow ladyboy bars on Soi Cowboy and previously ran Temptations in Nana Plaza.
Also, across the industry, ladyboy bars are far more profitable than girlie bars. “I looked and saw all these ladyboy bars making all this money, so I thought, why not?” said one partner.
Time will tell if the Showtime opening will bring in the hoped-for crowds and tourist segments. Management acknowledges success will probably depend on how successful they are in tying into the Asian tour market.
If it all comes together, the bold bet’s payoff begins with the Sept. 26 Showtime opening.
