Sleepy History - The Moulin Rouge

Episode Date: June 1, 2025

The Moulin Rouge—iconic, dazzling, and pulsing with the rhythm of Parisian nightlife. Born in the heart of Montmartre, this legendary cabaret became a symbol of freedom, creativity, and the bohemian spirit. But what stories lie behind its red windmill and glittering stage? Tonight, step into the vibrant world of the Moulin Rouge, as its rich history of art, music, and romance gently guides you into a peaceful and dream-filled sleep.Narrated by: Vanessa LabrieWritten by: Angela WoodAbout Sleepy History Delve into history's most intriguing stories, people, places, events, and mysteries, delivered in a supremely calming atmosphere. If you struggle to fall asleep and you have a curious mind, Sleepy History is the perfect bedtime companion. Our stories will gently grasp your attention, pulling your mind away from any racing thoughts, making room for the soothing music and calming narration to guide you into a peaceful sleep. Want to enjoy Sleepy History ad-free? Start your 7-day free trial of Sleepy History Premium: https://sleepyhistory.supercast.com/Have feedback or an episode request? Let us know at: slumberstudios.com/contactSleepy History is a production of Slumber Studios. To learn more, visit www.slumberstudios.com.

This is Sleepy History. Sleepy History is a production of Slumber Studios. To listen ad-free, get access to bonus episodes, and support the ongoing production of this show, Check out our premium feed. This is the Sleepy History of the Moulin Rouge. Narrated by Vanessa Le Brie. Written by Angela Wood. There's a renowned cabaret club at the foot of the Montmartre district in Paris. The Moulin Rouge, known in English as the Red Windmill, became famous in the late 1800s. Home of the lively Can-Can dance, it was a club on the fringes, where the strange and

eccentric found a home. Who were the artists and writers who frequented this club? What secrets were kept and shared behind its iconic facade. We'll delve into the stories, dances, music and characters of this spectacular venue tonight. So just relax and let your mind drift as we explore the sleepy history of the Moulin Rouge. It's the 6th of October, 1889, just a little before 8 p.m. On this chilly autumn night in Paris, the leaves on the trees are turning a burnished shade of gold and bronze. Imagine for a moment that you are standing in the Pigalle neighborhood,

an area just below Montmartre, on the Boulevard de Clichy. This evening, a sense of excitement and anticipation fills the air. and anticipation fills the air. All of the Parisian gentry are out on the streets. The men are dressed elegantly in top hats and tails, and the women wear high-neck blouses, bustled skirts, brooches, and pearls. Horse-drawn carriages line the cobbled street outside a brand-new club called the Moulin Rouge, where a large crowd has gathered. As you look up, you see a huge red windmill above the entrance.

The arms of the windmill are turning slowly, and the building is illuminated with hundreds of electric light bulbs. Up until this moment, electric lights have never adorned any cabaret club in Paris. It is a first for the city. At 8pm, the doors spring open, and you slowly step inside the club. You take in the space around you. It is lavish and extravagant and beautifully decorated in shades of red. of red. You notice a floor for dancing, round tables and chairs, and a stage where dancers can perform. An adjoining garden outside is home to a small concert stage surrounded by trees.

And on your left, a giant faux plaster elephant stands higher than the building itself. After the patrons are seated, silence falls in the club and the lights dim. Soon, the sound of Jacques Offenbach's music begins to play. A troupe of dancers enter onto the stage in a line. They are all identically dressed in long ruffled petticoats and tightly laced bodices. As the music plays, they begin to high kick in unison, performing a decades-old dance known as the Can-Can. As you gaze upon the stage, you find yourself mesmerized by the dancing and its frenetic rhythm.

The young women kick their legs high in the air, do cartwheels, and swish their skirts while performing circus-like acrobatics. It is at this moment that you realize this is not just opening night at the Moulin Rouge. It's the beginning of a new era in Paris. the new era in Paris. A time of great technological and design advancements, of freedom, decadence, and excess. The Moulin Rouge sits on the grounds of the Balles de la Reine Blanche, a grand structure that has closed four years earlier. It gets its name from the French word for windmill, moulin, and the word for red, which is rouge. The property was purchased by two businessmen.

The property was purchased by two businessmen. One was Charles Hidlert, a French impresario who financed the fine arts and various performances around the city. The other was Joseph Oller, who invented Perry Mutual Bedding, or pool bedding, which revolutionized gambling. Originally from Catalonia, Spain, he lived in Paris for most of his life. Oller was interested in the entertainment industry, and had opened several venues in Paris previously. In 1889, he turned his attention to the Moulin Rouge. The pair asked French painter and cartoonist Adolphe Willielet to design their new cabaret club.

However, Wielet's background was not really in architecture. He had studied at the École des Beaux-Arts, or School of Fine Arts, and was best known for his political and satirical illustrations. But this did not prevent him from becoming their architect, and he set out to design the Moulin Rouge. It was said that the owners wanted a place that reminded people of their cultural heritage and the French countryside. So the windmill design was perfect.

Once there had been 300 windmills in the Montmartre area of Paris. The Moulin Rouge paid homage to the 20 that still remained at the time. The windmills had been used to grind flour and press grapes from vineyards located outside the city. They were symbolic of the French rural way of life, and everyone in Paris could relate to them. The Montmartre neighborhood was chosen to house the club because of its vibrant and bohemian ambiance. The cobbled streets below Montmartre were winding, quaint and charming, home to family-run bakeries,

salons, and cafes frequented by the artist community. A multitude of artists, writers, and composers lived in the area, including the famed painters Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Vincent Van Gogh, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Toulouse-Lautrec, in particular, became a regular visitor to the cabaret club. Earlier in the year, the World's Fair, or Exposition Universelle, had also taken place in Paris. It had been an opportunity to showcase the city's grand and impressive architecture, such as the Eiffel Tower. Many buildings were said to have been rushed to completion in time for the fair.

This is quite remarkable, given the intricate detailing of many of these structures and the limited machinery available at the time. The buildings of the World's Fair had been illuminated with electric light bulbs, an event that marked a key development of the Industrial Revolution. José Follaire took advantage of this fact and decided to decorate the red windmill of the Moulin Rouge with lots of twinkling lights. He knew that the spectacle would attract wealthy patrons and sightseers from miles around. On opening night, the Moulin Rouge was packed to the brim. Many arrived to experience the place dubbed the most elegant and luxurious temple of dance

in Paris. The Cabaret Club was initially promoted as a venue where the upper class could witness working-class nightlife without leaving their own social realm. The interior was elaborate, consisting of an auditorium, dazzling crystal chandeliers, mirrored walls, and a large stage. The bold color red was showcased in the velvet curtains, rich textiles and upholstery. The decor inside the venue was opulent and extravagant. A garden known as the Jardin du Paris completed the exterior of the Moulin Rouge, and in it stood a 28-meter or 78-foot tall elephant made of stucco, a remnant of the recent World's Fair.

Inside the leg of the elephant, there was said to be a spiral staircase, leading to a luxurious opium den where a gentleman could be entertained by scantily clad belly dancers. The chamber was also used as a smaller theater, where some of the more risqué acts would play solely to the men. During the late 1800s, the club quickly became known for its provocative and debauched atmosphere, but more famously for its modern Can-Can dancers. The Can-Can was a style of dance that had been around for decades, having first emerged in the 1830s. The dance originated from the chayous, or cadrille, pronounced in English as quadrille, and was often danced in ballrooms and cabarets around Paris.

ballrooms and cabarets around Paris. In the early days, the women dancers wore long dresses and petticoats. But when they completed their high kicks, they often flashed the parts of their body usually hidden beneath their clothing, which was taboo at the time. Due to this, some Can-Can dancers were arrested for indecency, but the dance was never banned. The early dancers were often frowned upon, their morals deemed questionable by much of high society. However, by 1850, the dance had been toned down significantly to increase its popularity. The updated Can Can lasted ten minutes and consisted of rows of women who danced side by side facing the audience. The music was fast-paced and upbeat. And although the petticoats and frills remained, these ladies wore undergarments and were viewed as more respectable than their predecessors. The new dance, renamed the French Can-Can,

incorporated novel elements such as eye-watering splits, cartwheels, and high-energy dancing, in addition to the original high kicks and petticoat twirling. There were also complex moves to perform, such as the cathedral, port d'armes, or carrying weapons, and the military salute. Up until this time, women had always hidden their bodies under high necklines and underskirts, but the dancers of the Moulin Rouge bucked the trend. They were seen as revolutionaries and came to symbolize liberation and freedom of expression for many women. Their costumes became iconic, incorporating around 200 meters of frills for each petticoat. Bows and ribbons were embroidered onto them by hand. By the 1890s, the French Can-Can was the main highlight at the Moulin Rouge, with a famous dancer nicknamed La Goulue being the star of the show.

La Goulue was a young woman named Louise Weber, who was born in 1866. She became affectionately known by her stage name, La Goulue or The Glutton, because she would frequently drink the patron's champagne as she danced. During her raucous routine, La Goulue teased the men in the audience by showing her underwear, and when she performed her high kicks, she would often knock off their top hats with her toe. She became well-known to the artistic community that lived nearby, and was friends with both Renoir and Toulouse-Lautrec. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was a painter, printmaker, and illustrator from southern France who often immersed himself in Parisian nightlife. He was fascinated by the colorful lifestyle and would add many of the characters he met in the clubs and bordellos into his artwork.

flows into his artwork. He was known for his unique appearance, standing just four feet ten inches tall, and his laissez-faire attitude to life. He famously disliked narrow-minded views. Many said that he lived a life of fantasy, and he lived out such fantasies in the theaters and clubs of Paris. He was particularly inspired by the neighborhood of Montmartre, and truthfully captured the life around him in his art. Toulouse-Lautrec was appreciated by the women with whom he socialized, and the feeling was mutual. He famously said in relation to his height, I have found girls of my own size. Nowhere else do I feel so

much at home." In 1889, when the Moulin Rouge opened, Toulouse-Lautrec became enamored with the venue, and he spent every free evening at the cabaret club. During this time, he was commissioned by the owners to design several posters that would serve as promotional material. The works of art he created launched his career and made him instantly famous. His silhouettes, clean lines, and muted color palettes ensured that the posters were impactful and unique, and they were displayed all around Paris. While other artists at the time were focusing on still life, French landscapes, and self-portraits, Toulouse-Lautrec was intent on capturing the boisterous Parisian nightlife scene.

Some of his most famous works included the Oil on Canvas at the Moulin Rouge and the Salon de la Rue des Moulins, both painted between 1890 and 1895. Around the same time, he painted dancers, in particular, La Goulue and Jane Avril. Avril became a rival of La Goulue and Toulouse-Lautrec's girlfriend. rival of La Goulue and Toulouse-Lautrec's girlfriend. Jane Avril danced differently to the other girls. While La Goulue was known for her high-kicking antics and champagne guzzling, Avril was known for her jerky, neurotic movements. Avril was known for her jerky, neurotic movements. Her unusual dance style earned her the nicknames La Mélignite, after an explosive,

and L'étrange, the strange one. Some believed that her dance style was due to medical afflictions from when she was young. Others wondered if it was a marketing strategy by the club to depict dancers differently and draw more attention to the cabaret. Jane Avril became so famous that the Welsh poet, critic, and magazine editor Arthur Simons dedicated a poem to her entitled La Mélunite Moulin Rouge. The poem reads, Olivier Métras waltz of roses, Shed in a rhythmic shower, The very petals of the flower, And all is roses, The rouge of petals in a shower. Down the long hall, the dance returning, rounds the full circle,

rounds the perfect rose of lights and sounds, the rose returning into the circle of its rounds. Alone, apart, one dancer watches, her mirrored, morbid grace before the mirror face to face, alone she watches, her morbid, vague, ambiguous grace. Before the mirror's dance of shadows, she dances in a dream, and she and they together theme a dance of shadows alike the shadows of a dream. The orange rosy lamps are trembling between the robes that turn trembling, between the robes that turn, in ruddy flowers of flame that burn, the lights are trembling, the shadows and the dancers turn. And enigmatically smiling, in the mysterious night, she dances for her own delight. A shadow smiling. Back to a shadow in the night. In the poem, Jane is depicted as beautiful and graceful,

Jane is depicted as beautiful and graceful, yet there's a sense of melancholy in the verse. It suggests that the life of a cabaret dancer was not all glitz and glamour. Jane Avril was softly spoken, with an air of grace about her. She became one of the most recognizable dancers in Paris. Several movie characters were later based on her. She was played by Jean Jacobour in the Moulin Rouge movie released in 1952. And a semi-fictionalized character was later based on her and portrayed by Nicole Kidman in 2001. Several composers wrote music for the French Can-Can, but the most memorable dances were performed to one tune composed by Jacques Ofenbach.

The Infernal Gallop came from his operetta Orpheus and the Underworld, released in 1858. The music was upbeat and energetic, with a catchy melody. It was characterized as simple, yet with an acrobatic style and many unforgettable elements. The lyrics translate to, This ball is an original of an infernal gallop. Let's all give the signal, Long live thefernal Gallop. The music was indeed long-lived. As to this day, it is still the primary tune to which the French Can-Can is performed. In its early years, the dancers and music achieved country-wide fame, and the shows

drew the attention of high society and overseas dignitaries. During a visit to Paris, Edward VII, the then Prince of Wales, reserved a table at the Moulin Rouge. La Goulue met him at the venue, and without any pomp and ceremony, decreed, Hey, Wales, the champagne's on you. Hey whales, the champagne's on you." Aside from can-can dancers, the venue also had acrobats, was even famed for being able to pass wind on cue. By the late 1800s and early 1900s, the café concerts and garden balls at the Moulin Rouge had been replaced with operettas and shows that were popular at the time. Le Rêve d'Égypte, or The Dream of Egypt, and Voluptata were two that made the stage, but it was another act that was viewed by the

audience as truly scandalous. The actor on stage was Mathilde de Mornay, a duchess that moved in high society circles. She dared to perform in a men's suit and engage in an onstage kiss with her lover, Kulit. When she performed, the audience began to call out and whistle, and after the kiss, the police were called to defuse the potential riot. Many, however, believed that the kiss wasn't the main scandal of the evening. It was that it was illegal for women to wear trousers in France at the time. There had been a law passed almost a century earlier, in 1799, stating that if a woman wanted to dress like a man, she must go to the police

to ask for permission. The only times it was acceptable for a woman to wear trousers was if they were riding a bicycle or a horse. The archaic law was still in place until 2013, when it was finally revoked. In 1915, a fire destroyed the original Moulin Rouge, but five years later, the Cabaret Club was back. This time, it was redesigned by Édouard-Jean Nieermans in an art nouveau style. The cabaret had undergone great changes, and now, Mistenguette, or Jeanne-Florentine Bourgeois, was the star headliner of the show. Mistenguette was a French singer and actress, and at the time, one of the world's highest-paid female entertainers.

In the 1880s, when she was starting out in her career, she visited her neighbor to ask for advice. She was told, to succeed in theater, you must be pretty. You must excite men. She took the advice on board and became known for her zest for life and flamboyance. In 1919, she famously insured her legs for 500,000 francs, the equivalent of a hundred thousand dollars at the time. Mistanguete became a co-director of the Mourahouche after World War I. Alongside a new team, they elevated the standing of the venue to one with a glorious modern-day image.

She remained at the club until 1929. When she retired, Moulin Rouge was transformed into a ballroom. In the same year, the biggest hit show at the club featured the Broadway singer Adelaide Hall. She performed with a 100-piece jazz plantation orchestra during a four-month residency. Her natural stage presence and alluring voice made her one of the most revered performers ever to grace the stage. Her fame continued long after her stint at the Mounahouj ended. Paul embarked on a world concert tour and could often be seen on stage with the likes of jazz luminaries Duke Gallington and Louis Armstrong.

When the Second World War began, Muna Huj was faced with a number of challenges. Moulin Rouge was faced with a number of challenges. And when the city came under German occupation, the activities in the club were limited to singing and dancing. German troops would visit the club to be entertained, and during this time, the Moulin Rouge was completely transformed once again. In the spring of 1944, French singer Edith Piaf sang at the club, and while there, she met her future lover Yves Monton.

Today, one of her signature songs, Réveillon rose, still lives on. It has been played and reimagined by artists the world over. After the war, in the early 1950s, the Cabaret Club underwent further renovations. The dancers' costumes became even more flamboyant and feathery, and new forms of entertainment and styles of music were introduced. In 1962, a monumental aquarium was installed for the first aquatic ballet to be performed. And the Foufou tradition was established. This meant that every review or dinner show name had to start with the letter F. Every review was advertised as a festival, a frisson, or thrill, feri, or fairyland,

or a folment, something mad or wild – a tradition that still applies today. In the late 1981, the Cabaret Club played its review to Queen Elizabeth II. Other members of the British monarchy followed suit, including Princess Diana, who attended a performance in the Moura-Houge Centennial year, 1989. Throughout the milestone year, the Gypsy Kings, Tony Curtis, and Ella Fitzgerald also arrived for the celebratory events. In 2001, the characters of the Moulin Rouge were the main focus of a Hollywood musical film starring Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman. The movie was directed by Baz Luhrmann, although it was not filmed in Paris, but in Sydney, Australia, at Fox Studios.

at Fox Studios. Lady Marmalade, a song from the 2001 movie, featured some of the top female singers of the time, including Maya, Christina Aguilera, Lil Kim, and Pink. The song references the Moulin Rouge and its lyrics, and the singers were dressed in provocative, cabaret-inspired clothing for the music video, harking back to the club's early days. back to the club's early days. In 2004, Las Vegas rock band The Killers also filmed the video for their hit Mr. Brightside on stage there. In 2010, the Moulin Rouge branched out into fragrances. Histoire de parfum, 1889, or Perfume Stories, 1889, captured the scent of the Betty Book era and cabaret, drawing inspiration from stories and historical events.

The perfume was powdery and feminine, infused with notes of irish heart, tangerine, cinnamon, tangerine, cinnamon, and absinthe. The scent has been described as a memory that lingers until morning, long after the show has ended. This was also the year that the Cabaret Club dancers entered the Guinness Book of World Records. They performed 29 high kicks in 30 seconds during a French Can Can. In April 2024, disaster struck when part of the red windmill came loose and fell into the street. It damaged the venue's recognizable facade temporarily. The iconic windmill was restored just in time for the Paris Olympic Games. The exterior was back to its former glory when the Olympic torch relay passed through the neighborhood in July of the same year. Today, the Mura Huzh dance troupe consists of 80 dancers from all

across the world, all of whom are classically trained. They perform two shows each evening, They perform two shows each evening, with 10 to 15 costume changes throughout each show, and they have just 90 seconds to change between the acts. The venue entertains more than half a million visitors and serves almost a quarter of a million bottles of champagne every year. Even after all these years, the Moulin Rouge is still one of the main tourist attractions in Paris. The lights, music, and the reviews combined with feathers, rhinestones, and sequins are poignant reminders of the club's early days. Every night, vibrant performances continued to transport audiences on a magical journey to an alternate reality, back to the 1880s, where the story of the Moulin Rouge

began. However, there is one aspect that should not be overlooked – the music, and in particular, the infernal gallop. For it's this captivating tune that truly brought the French Can-can to life in people's minds. Alongside the stories, high kicks, complex dance moves, and acrobatics, the music was the magic formula that brought it all together. The tune remains clear in the minds of many. It is always associated with dance, freedom of expression, and the legendary Paris Cabaret Club that still remains open for business more than 130 years later. You You You You You You You You You You You You You You You you