UPDATE: Sadly this venue is now closed.

In a city famed for its oversupply of splashy nightspots, Shanghai’s newly opened Gosney & Kallman’s Chinatown (471 Zhapu Rd.; 86-21/6258-2078; chinatownshanghai.com) has already stolen some of the limelight. Set in a revamped 1931 Japanese Buddhist temple just north of the Bund, the music hall is the brainchild of Norman Gosney (behind New York’s Slipper Room) and dancer Amelia Kallman, together credited with helping revive America’s vaudeville scene. Floor shows embrace everything from cabaret to burlesque and Broadway, with a touch of comedy, jazz, and even acrobatics on the side. But the fun doesn’t stop there: expect classic cocktails, dessert trolleys, and stilted hot-dog sellers, who roam the aisles at the final curtain call—now that’s entertainment. –Natasha Dragun

Originally appeared in the December 2009/January 2010 print issue of
DestinAsian magazine ( “Burlesque Is More”)