Ooh la la, cabaret has saucy history
Paris was the birthplace of cabaret, a uniquely French form of variety entertainment which developed in the second half of the 19th century, initially inspired by English music hall, but which has come to incorporate a strong emphasis on scantily clad dancing girls.
The Folies Bergere opened in 1869, followed by Le Chat Noir 12 years later. Both became popular with a varied and colourful clientele ranging from British royalty to some of the most notable writers and artists of the day.
In 1889, the Moulin Rouge opened in Montmartre, and in 1946 Le Lido on the Champs Elysees, joining many lesser-known venues in staging variety performances.
As with music hall, class distinctions were checked at the door, along with bourgeois notions of propriety. Audiences comprised people from all walks of life who could afford to sit at the tables and drink Champagne.
The cabarets fascinated artists. A Bar at the Folies Bergere is one of Edouard Manet's most famous paintings, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, who was commissioned to produce posters for the Moulin Rouge, liked to paint and sketch the dancing girls. The Folies Bergere, the Moulin Rouge and Le Lido are all still in business, and are today perhaps the most famous French cabaret shows, along with Le Crazy Horse Saloon, which is famous for its innovative use of stage lighting on the bodies of nude or semi-nude dancers.
The Moulin Rouge has a particularly star studded history, and has several times been the setting for films, most recently Baz Luhrmann's 2001 Moulin Rouge! starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor.
This is the cabaret where a dance called the Quadrille Realiste was first performed. When staged in London it was dubbed 'the French Can Can' and the name stuck on both sides of the Channel. The Moulin Rouge is also famous for the giant aquarium in which topless dancers perform 'nautical ballet'.
Proving that cabaret is not just about the dancing girls, stars such as Maurice Chevalier, Edith Piaf and Yves Montand have also graced the stage, as have Ella Fitzgerald, Liza Minnelli, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Elton John.
Traditionally, the titles of all Moulin Rouge shows since 1963 begin with an 'F' and the current production, which has been running since 1999, is called Feerie (Concerning Fairies). Created by Doris Haug and Ruggero Angeletti, and choreographed by Bill Goodson, Feerie involves a troupe of 100 artists, including the 60 'Doriss Girls' who dance 'the French Can Can' in every Moulin Rouge performance. It cost Euro8 million (HK$81.4 million) to produce.
Also renowned for lavish productions and spectacular staging is Le Lido, where the current revue Bonheur (Happiness), created by artistic director Pierre Rambert, involves 23 sets, a real ice rink, which is interchangeable with a swimming pool, and 600 costumes - together worth Euro3 million - worn by the Bluebell Girls and the Lido Boy Dancers.
The show, which cost Euro9 million to produce, comprises four tableaux entitled Woman, Paris, India and Cinema with the connecting theme of a search for happiness on the part of leading lady Sabine Hettlich.
Performers associated with Le Lido include, again, Chevalier and Piaf, but also the legendary Josephine Baker, Laurel and Hardy, Marlene Dietrich and Noel Coward. In 1959, Elvis Presley, who was serving in the United States Army in Germany at the time and was on leave, gave an impromptu performance at Le Lido - one of the very few shows he performed outside the US.
Extravagant shows, such as Feerie and Bonheur, are a far cry from the days when the Can Can was first danced, or when Baker appeared in a skirt made of bananas, and wearing not much else.
Nevertheless, the tradition of risque but stylish and slick entertainment has remained consistent for more than 140 years, and continues to draw crowds - even if today they are composed mostly of tourists.
Renowned for lavish productions and spectacular staging, The Lido (left) is the venue for Bonheur, an elaborate revue involving 23 sets.
