Midnight Monday

 

 

Le Lapin Agile, at night.

 

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It's midnight in Paris, and had this been the 1860s, this quiet Montmartre venue, once a lively cabaret, would be in full swing, with patrons reveling both inside and out. When it first opened its name was Au rendez-vous des voleurs ("Where Thieves Meet”) and then, about 20 years later, its walls adorned with portraits of notorious murderers, earned it the name Cabaret des Assassins. Legend has it that this name arose after a gang of robbers broke in, killing the owner's son during a failed robbery.

 

Was Pablo Picasso a patron, as the title of Steve Martin's play, "Picasso at the Lapin Agile" suggests? An oil-on-canvas by Picasso (Au Lapin Agile) dated 1905 and painted during his Rose Period, includes a contemplative self-portrait of young Pablo - he's the harlequin - who was a regular. The work fetched $40.7 million at Sotheby’s on November 27, 1989, making it one of the priciest paintings ever. By 1905, the Lapin Agile’s owner, Frédéric Gérard, tapped the 25-year-old artist to paint something for the club’s walls, offering him free meals and drinks as payment. Picasso, never one to say no to a deal, whipped up Au Lapin Agile - and the rest is art history. - BPJ

Farewell, Monsieur Bleu

Yesterday saw the funeral of Michou, a living legend whose cabaret on rue des Martyrs was a Montmartre fixture since 1956 and inspired the film, "La Cage aux Folles." 

 Below: Michou's portrait precedes his hearse painted in his trademark sky blue; mourners arriving; crowd at cemetery door

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  From "Out On The Town: Best Offbeat Performance” - USA Today Paris City Guide
by Barbara Pasquet James

Best Offbeat Performance - Chez Michou. Ancient drag queens cavort in a tiny, elegant and expensive boite de nuit on a tiny, elegant stage. The show is decidedly French, and, depending on who’s up when you go, you’ll see everyone from Edith Piaf to Sammy Davis Jr. who incredibly morphs into Shirley Bassey mid-number. Phone: 01 46 06 16 04, 80 rue des Martyrs, 75018. (Métro: Abbesses or Pigalle)

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Adieu Prince Bleu de Montmartre

Lapin à Gilles

View over the city from the terrace of former Montmartre cabaret the Lapin Agile.

(To Gilles, who lives next door. The cabaret was named for former owner André Gill)

Lapin à Gill

Previously known as Au rendez-vous des voleurs (where thieves meet) then Cabaret des Assassins, it's hard to believe that the Lapin Agile - named for artist André Gill - on a quiet country-like lane in Montmartre was once a raucous night club.