Paris - Dimmed Lights | France Revisited

Liza Pastor (Luisa), Geraldine Larrosa (Inez), and cast in Zorro, Le Musical. Photo: Brinkhoff/Mögenburg (c) ZLL

Zorro, Le Musical

A review by Gary Lee Kraut

Paris, February 2010—I get a thrill whenever I walk into the Folies Bergères, past its Art Deco façade and into its kitsch lobby that looks like something out of Dr. Seuss. Then to the seating at the first balcony that still has the old iron, wood, and velour feel of an authentic Paris music hall—preferably to the privileged box seats, front row. Or better still, to the higher comfort of the orchestra seating where, before the show starts, it’s easy to imagine that I’m awaiting the arrival of Josephine Baker or Mistinguett or Maurice Chevalier.


City Hall Says Paris Nightlife Can't Be Dead, We Just Launched It Parisians of the partying kind have long lamented the decline of the city’s nightlife. Those over 45 date the good ole days to the 1980s, those over 30 manage to cite a couple of highlights of the 90s, and those in their 20s simply criticize Paris for not being New York or Madrid. Read More
October, Paris's Most Culture-Minded Month October is Paris’s most culture-minded month. September may represent the official rentrée, France’s back to school, back to work, back to politics, back to books, back to the courthouse, back to the museum time of year, but the truth is that Parisians don’t get into the cultural mood until the weather encourages them to put on a scarf or at least a jacket. A little rain helps. Read More
Swinging in July Paris, July 3, 2009—Last night, expectations low, I attended Swinging Life, a musical revue of soul, jazz, gospel, and blues songs that have been heard on Broadway, playing through July 31 at the Alhambra, a 600-seat theater in the Canal Saint Martin Quarter. I went to Swinging Life because the PR rep offered me a ticket and because the theater is 300 yards from my apartment, certainly not because I thought I was in for an entertaining evening. Read More
The Vidocq Society: A Famous French Detective Inspires American Forensic Inquiries When William Fleisher, a former Philadelphia Police Officer and FBI Special Agent, meets with his pals for lunch there’s often blood on the menu and a Frenchman to blame: Eugène-François Vidocq (1775-1857), the legendary French criminal-cum-police chief. Fleisher, having read and reread Vidocq’s memoirs, was the prime mover behind the creation in 1990 of the Vidocq Society, a non-profit, fraternal organization set up to discuss unsolved crimes and assist law enforcement officials in solving “cold” cases. Read More
Uncovering French Weapons of Mass Seduction I once tried to organize an American singles tour of Paris. The itinerary was ideal. I would bring together six eligible men and six eligible women for a week of smart, seductive, well-fed explorations of the city, from day life to nightlife, and perhaps love life thereafter. I quickly found six eager women—women of class and beauty and culture and career success. As for the men… what men? Read More
"The Class": Inside the Walls of French Education Laurent Cantet’s film The Class (Entre les murs) won the prestigious Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, earning high praise for its lively portrayal of adolescents in a Parisian high school, and is now France's official entry for the 2009 Oscar in the Foreign Language Film Category. Rather than create a stilted picture of youth, the film gives a startling vision of the real energy of thirteen-year-olds. To make this film Mr. Read More