Moulin Rouge, Paris

“That is the Can-can. The idea of it is to dance as wildly, as noisily, as furiously as you can; expose yourself as much as possible if you are a woman; and kick as high as you can, no matter which sex you belong to. There is no word of exaggeration in this. Any of the staid, respectable, aged people who were there that night can testify to the truth of that statement. There were a good many such people present. I suppose French morality is not of that strait-laced description which is shocked at trifles.”
– The Innocents Abroad

The Essentials:

Website: https://www.moulinrouge.fr/

Address: 82, Boulevard de Clichy, 75018 PARIS (the Montmartre district)

Phone: +33 (0)1 53 09 82 82
How To Get There: Bus 30 / 54 / 68 / 74 Train: M2 White

Show Times: The Moulin Rouge offers a 9:00 pm show with optional dinner, and an 11:00 pm. show. Each of these shows offer champagne, entrance and other special offers for extra fee- check the website for offerings. You can purchase food and drink without a preorder.

Bonsoir, Histoire

Moulin Rouge began as an 1889 creation of Charles Zidler and Joseph Oller at Butte Montmartre.

Butte Montmartre, Paris; Montmartre is a hill, a butte – for those versed in U.S. geography, that name is tied in America to the flat-topped, mesa-resembling hills in that country’s west – courtesy of Paris Secret

The Rouge was not only a cabaret, it was a fair, a cafe, and a garden. Its validation of its risque reputation was there from the beginning (see below for more), but against all odds in a culturally Roman Catholic nation, the business thrived.

Histoires de Parfums says “for the first time in the history of the puritanical 19th century, Women had the front stage … Until then, women only existed as subjects of paintings or sculptures, and always dressed up to the neck. Under the effect of a stifling Christian morality, women’s bodies were hidden under gloves, veils and underskirts… which the dancers of the Moulin Rouge have fun lifting up. More than just a reflection of the dazzling optimism of the Belle Époque, the Moulin Rouge embodies the French panache which, a century earlier, blew a wind of freedom across Europe”.

A counter to this sentiment, from Reuters, is “Critics say some aspects of the performance – especially the fact that many of the female dancers are topless or wear see-through costumes – is a sexist objectification that is out of step with modern times”.

There is a kernel of truth to the empowerment opinion of the show, though. The liberal atmosphere of Moulin Rouge allowed by 1903 for a lesbian kiss to occur on stage (granted, this was gotten past scrutiny by the “raunchy” billing of the shows, but that it happened at all then was ahead of its time).

Moulin Rouge went on forced hiatus after a 1915 fire, the venue rebuilt by 1922. New management lead to “a more glorious image than in its early days and gave birth to such mythical revues and songs -La Revue Mistinguett, Ça, c’est Paris, Il m’a vue nue, On m’suit”.

By 1929, the Moulin Rouge, continuing its tradition of changing social norms, “hosted the European premiere of Lew Leslie’s Blackbirds, an American revue with a hundred … African-American dancers led by the famous Florence Winfrey”.

By 1979, “Thierry Le Luron, Dalida, Charles Aznavour, Jean-Claude Brialy, George Chakiris, the Village People and Zizi Jeanmaire gathered on stage for the 90th anniversary of the cabaret, representing its universal scope, regardless of origin, colour, gender or sexuality”.

Into today, Moulin Rouge is one of the most attended Parisian shows.

Is the Moulin Rouge Worth It?

An evening at the Moulin Rouge can be an expensive night out and one many wonder if the cost justifies the experience. The Feerie show we saw in late May 2024 was absolutely worth every penny! The dancing, singing, skits, costumes, choreography were superb. The show is performed in French, but you can follow the storyline due to the great performance of the troop. Still need convincing? Here are some reasons:

Attending the dinner portion is completely unnecessary and reduces the cost measurably. I have never been a big fan of “dinner shows” as the food is often -well how to say it nicely- bad. So skip the dinner and dine in a restaurant near the theater- we chose the Sanglier Bleu https://lesanglierbleu.com/fr which was 2 doors down from the Moulin Rouge. Their menu was extensive, reasonably priced, the restaurant opened early enough to enjoy dinner before the show, the staff even offered to hold leftovers in their refrigerator for us to collect after the show. The restaurant’s atmosphere supported dressing for the theater.
There is no assigned seating for the show. Those who do the dinner show will get seats closer to the stage. The venue is relatively small and there really weren’t any seats that were horrible. In order to obtain the best seating without attending the dinner is to arrive at door opening- generally 8:00 pm.
We didn’t order champagne with our tickets as I wasn’t sure we needed that much. We did opt to purchase a bottle of champagne once seated to celebrate our daughter’s birthday- it was cheaper than prebuying.
Please respect the NO video, photography during the show rule- not only is it rude to the patrons around you- but choreography is highly valued and should not be shared without express permission.
The venue is “tight” meaning- you are kind of packed in like sardines- the tables are close together, there is very little room for moving especially with the wait staff. So those with claustrophobia may find it uncomfortable.
Use the restrooms before the show- they are always jam packed at intermission.
There is No Smoking in the theater.
There is a dress code! A suit, business attire, evening dress are a must- sneakers, flip flops, shorts, Bermuda shorts, and sportswear are unacceptable. Check the website here: https://www.moulinrouge.fr/en/what-should-you-wear-to-go-to-the-moulin-rouge/
Nudity- yes, the women dancers are topless at times. The first topless dance number might make one feel awkward, uncomfortable, wonder if the nudity is a violation of dignity, is this okay, are a few of the thoughts that pop through your mind. After that number, though, you don’t really notice- no attention is called to the bared breasts, the dancers have repeatedly said they feel completely comfortable in this mode of dance, and the costuming does not place undue emphasis on the breasts.
It’s history- the Moulin Rouge has played since 1889.
Lastly- the Can-Can is awesome- and no one does it better!