Tableau 1: Paris Plumes
Without too much thought for educational chronological precision, this first tableau takes us in the world of some of the great women of music-hall. From Josephine Baker, revolutionary at the head of her “revue negre”, illustrated by Paul Colin, to Zizi Jeanmaire, dressed with her famous trucen plumes, as well as “la mome” Piaf, and her “Milords”, they all have in themselves the flavour of Parisian nights and champagne.
Five sets, a large staircase, video images, champagne glasses; Gigi, jazz and java, the romantic night of lovers, all the ingredients of Paris Plumes are mixed together into a pleasant cocktail celebrating the night when champagne was invented.
Tableau 2: Paris Jazz
With the triumphal arrival of American Jazz, the 50s see the renewal of music-hall art and cabaret.
French people drink, dance the boogie in order to celebrate the freedom of Paris, Boris Vian and Juliette Gréco haunt the Saint-Germain des Pres hang-outs while Ray Ventura and his Collégiens sing and dance the happiness of a recovered freedom.
Tableau 3: Paris Reves
In the tradition of Lido, the Folies Bergèreand the Moulin Rouge, this exotic tableau relates the legend of Thamar: a rich and beautiful princess who is bored and languishes for love. The boudoir of Thamar is decorated with a succession of curtains, drapes and multicoloured veils which twirl around to create a rich and mysterious universe.
None of the distractions offered to Thamar succeed in making her forget her melancholy. The queen of the night bewitches her and Thamar falls asleep under the spell. In her dream, she dances with birds until she falls in love with one of them with extraordinary feathers.
Through a game of chains and clothes which symbolises the supplication and seduction of the masked bird, the queen of the night transforms the bird into a prince. (Atraction 3).
When she awakes, Thamar recognises the prince and the wedding cele-brations take place in the palace.
Tableau 4: Paris Dance
The Paris of architects, from the Eiffel Tour to the Moulin-Rouge, a pause in the temple of the Folies-Bergère, Mistinguett, Charles Trenet, Line Renaud celebrate Paris, the ineffable women’s legs and the wily women of the cancan-dancers of Montmartre.
But the music-hall is not dead and the new generation welcomes you into its imaginary cabaret.
One century of Parisian nights is finally summarised in the big staircase where the girls and elegant easy-going dancers sing and dance Paris Plumes forever.
Editor: Feng Hui
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