A Market Basket-inspired cabaret show is coming to Boston - The Boston Globe
“The thing about New Englanders is that they love New England, and love to hate it, and hate to love it,” Gnat says. The shows are 21-plus. Reps for Market Basket had no comment about the performance.
Crank up the yacht rock and let the air-conditioning flow: Boston cabaret and bar Jacque’s (79 Broadway St.) will host two Market Basket-inspired drag and burlesque shows on Wednesday, Sept. 23.
The spectacle, called “Market Rate,” is a tribute to New England’s iconic grocery store. Tickets go on sale today at 2 p.m.
The two-hour performances will include “a small rotisserie chicken-eating competition,” according to co-organizer and producer Gnat, who says the concept originated as a joke among friends but quickly took off.
“The thing about New Englanders is that they love New England, and love to hate it, and hate to love it,” Gnat says. “You bring in a niche reference, and folks immediately connect to that representation. I mean, just look at the most recent Noah Kahan tours — the lyrics that reference Boston [and] New England landed so strongly with the New England audience at the Fenway stops.”
While Noah Kahan is certainly no Arthur DeMoulas, Gnat does note that New England has a long history of locally themed drag and burlesque shows. In 2025, Jacque’s hosted “MBTGay: A Transit Drag Show.”
Approximately 60 performers auditioned for the Market Basket homage, with a dozen or so making the more-for-your-dollar cut. Selected performers include standup comic Andi Van Dyke and burlesque performer Stabitha Christie. The show includes two acts, with an intermission.
“You can expect drag, burlesque, and maybe even some live singing,” says Gnat, who notes that a pre-show playlist spotlights tunes one might hear whilst cruising the aisles.
This is a different kind of drama for the beloved chain, which most recently made headlines when longtime CEO DeMoulas was ousted by Market Basket’s board of directors.
This evening has a more benevolent angle: It benefits a few food charities. Jacque’s will accept monetary donations for Haley House, the West Roxbury Food Pantry, and the Allston-Brighton Food Pantry at both performances. The shows are 21-plus.
Reps for Market Basket had no comment about the performance. Get tickets at https://posh.vip/e/market-rate.
Kara Baskin can be reached at kara.baskin@globe.com. Follow her @kcbaskin.