Let’s Get Comfy

Imagine a club that incorporated the traditional cabaret mix of music and comedy, spiced it up with the do-it-yourself aesthetic of punk, added a shot of drag culture and topped it off with the spirit of “The Gong Show.”

We are at Plush.

Plush is the latest club from Mr. Dan and Paul V., the entrepreneurs who received national attention when they opened their still thriving club Dragstrip 66 earlier this year.

Since its debut at Casita del Campo in Silver Lake early this month--with a performance by L.A. favorite Phranc-- Plush has carved out a niche as a Wednesday night club where the accent is on chatting and meeting people. The bar serves liquor as well as a variety of imported Mexican beers, and the blender mixing margaritas whirrs away all night. There’s no dancing, and the recorded music (Tom Jones, Patti Page, Sheila E.) is kept to a comfortable, loungey level. The show begins at 11 p.m. with each week’s installment of “The Plush Life,” which the promoters modestly term “a hilarious serial situation comedy soap-opera.” Mostly improvised and quite frank, “The Plush Life” is the rag-tag entr’acte before the evening’s main entertainment--usually a local nightclub favorite or a national act enjoying the chance to work in such an intimate space.

Performers who have been there or are scheduled over the next few weeks include L.A. club doyennes Jackie Beat and Gender, as well as more established names like Jane Child, Exene Cervenka, and former Mumps member Kristian Hoffman. (Call the Plush hot line for this week’s lineup, or for more information about getting booked to perform.)

However, performance is almost secondary to the real reason for Plush. “We wanted a place where we could get together with our friends,” says Mr. Dan, and in between acts there is plenty of time to chat with pals or meet new people.

As Paul V. sums up the appeal of Plush, “It’s a cheap date in the middle of the week.”

* Name: Plush.

* When and Where: Wednesday night; 10:00 p.m. to 2 a.m. Casita del Compo, 1920 Hyperion Ave., Silver Lake.

* Hot Line: (213) 969-2596.

* Money Matters: $5 cover, no minimum.

* Doorman: Chatty, with no attitude.

* Dress Code: Come as you are, or come as you want to be.