Every Sunday night at 10 p.m., John Henry’s changes from a downtown bar into something resembling a 1930s jazz club. The bar and video poker machines are bathed in red light and the employees wear vintage formal attire. Drink orders and the clicking of pool balls overlap with the jazz and 1950s rock coming over the speakers. On a small stage in the front, a band begins to warm up.
The stage is set for John Henry’s Broadway Revue. Featuring a wide range of performances, garish costumes and audience participation activities, the show has become a popular late-night event in Eugene, drawing 80 to 100 customers a week, according to the management.
“There’s nothing like it in Eugene,” bar manager Mark Martin said. “It’s really one of a kind here. You go to the big cities and you’ll see a lot of good shows like this there. But not in Eugene.”
One of the attractions, according to Martin, is that the audience can join in the show. Anyone who has an idea for an act can suggest it and possibly perform on stage.
“As long as it doesn’t involve fire,” Martin said.

The acts are as diverse as the imaginations of the performers can make them. Keeping with the burlesque sensibility that governs the show’s content, more than half of the performers are strippers. Other acts include stand-up comedy, a cappella singing, knife dancing and synchronized roller skating, all of it hosted by the show’s rotating group of emcees.
“It’s always a weird show,” head of security and part-time emcee Jason Cronk said. “Sometimes we have a girl who just hauls a bunch of TVs and radios on stage and then just smashes them.”
Many employees of John Henry’s get in on the act. Security guards crack jokes and bartenders do dance routines. The house band, the Broadway Quartet, plays old-school jazz for many of the performances, giving the strippers a beat to strip to.
“It’s really cool to be involved with,” security officer and part-time emcee Chet Reeves said. “There’s a lot of originality involved and it’s very open.”
One of the most popular events is the strip-off, which is held near the end of each show. Audience members are invited to come up and try their skills against the previous week’s winner. There is no prerequisite for gender or experience, and anyone who feels they are good enough can give it a shot.
“I love the strip-off,” customer Kendra Carnes said. “Especially when the guys perform. They’re hilarious.”
The management sees the stripping as an important aspect of the show.
“We’re not trying to be a strip club,” Martin said. “We don’t want to be that kind of high-testosterone environment.”
John Henry’s is looking to expand the show during the coming months, according to Martin. Among other things, it wants to amplify the 1930s-style decor and make everything “a little more classy.”
As it is, the show is quickly becoming one of the biggest draws in John Henry’s roster of performances. Since moving to its current location from its former West 11th Avenue address last year, the bar has hosted a wide range of musical performances, including local bands such as The Courtesy Clerks and out-of-town acts including the Eric McFadden Trio.

But the Broadway Revue is the show that John Henry’s calls its own. For all the show’s risqué subject matter, the management thinks it’s worth whatever problems it might cause.
“For every one complaint we get about something that happened on stage, we get 20 compliments,”said Martin.
Audience members and performers are of the same mind, and many hope the show continues for some time.
“It’s entertaining,” stand-up comedian Randy Mendez said. “It’s cheaper than a strip club and not as seedy. It’s also the only thing to do on a Sunday night.”
Or as a member of the audience shouted at the stage after one performance: “I love this place!”
John Henry’s is located at 77 West Broadway. Tickets for the Broadway Revue are $5 at the door. Admittance is restricted to those 21 and over.