The saying goes, “In April, don’t shed a thread.” But when it comes to the dancers of the Lido, that changes everything! Indeed, this is the month when the famous cabaret on the Champs-Elysées reopens its doors with a brand-new show. Feathers, rhinestones, glitter—the dream is back.

Dan Simkovitch also kindly agreed to an interview for this article. Yes, that’s her, the unforgettable Madame Bellefeuille from the hit 90s sitcom Les filles d’à côté (alongside the late Thierry Redler), a series that is currently being broadcast on French TNT.

I also thought about our dear little ones with a concert for 2 to 6-year-olds. Yet another rich and varied selection, just for you!

Belcanto – The Luciano Pavarotti Héritage

It’s good to mix different worlds in an article. For now, we are heading towards the classical with a show that unites opera, dance, and song. Fourteen opera singers selected by the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation will be performing on the stage of the Théâtre des Variétés in Paris in May.

This foundation was created in 2007 at the initiative of Nicoletta Mantovani to perpetuate the memory of her tenor husband. In this show, we will hear great Opera arias from famous composers such as Puccini, Verdi, Bizet, Mozart, Rossini, Lehar, Lloyd Weber, as well as traditional Neapolitan songs and many other compositions that the artists (sopranos, mezzos, tenors, and baritones) will perform with a massive orchestra, all accompanied by ballet to complete the spectacle.

Thanks to the Belcanto arias, a beautiful journey through Italy awaits us. Mademoiselle Bon Plan and I will be at the Théâtre des Variétés on May 5th. If you’ll be there too, don’t hesitate to let us know—it would be a pleasure to meet you.

I also want to point out that the directing is by a certain Franco Dragone (3 Obie Awards and 1 Los Angeles Critics Award), whom we will see again a bit later in another show. Yes, he is definitely the man of the moment!

Belcanto – The Luciano Pavarotti Héritage Théâtre des Variétés

7 boulevard Montmartre 75002 Paris

from May 2 to 17 at 3:30 PM and 8:30 PM depending on the day

from €23 to €92

The tip: -29% and -30% off depending on categories with the BilletReduc website

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 Sing with NOMI-NOMI

The show I’m going to tell you about now is aimed at a young audience aged 2 to 6. The subtitle on the poster made me smile: Rock nursery rhymes for today’s kids. I’ll explain that to you in more detail.

Since we have to move with the times (and that’s a good thing), here is a singer who revisits nursery rhymes of the past in a rockier version. The brunette, with her slight resemblance to Snow White, accompanied by her partner Toni-Toni, offers her own original compositions throughout the show.

This concert is the first of its kind where children express all their artistic emotions. They sing, dance, clap in rhythm, and laugh. They truly live the show.

A very important detail to note: for you parents, just by reading the words rock and concert, I imagine you might be skeptical. Well, worry not. The equipment is designed for little ones, and the sound is soft for their little ears. Plus, children will appreciate this joyful universe in an imaginary world filled with animals.

Cathy’s review:

Well, my opinion is very positive. I went on a Sunday in March. The theater was almost full. I appreciated the stage decor, which is colorful and caught the children’s eyes. I liked this show for the simple reason that it doesn’t talk down to children.

On the contrary, it lifts them up. I was the only adult without a child, and I can tell you that at no point did I wonder what I was doing there. The singer is charming and addresses her young audience with naturalness and simplicity. It really is a show to recommend. Important detail: the show lasts 50 minutes.

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Mamies Boum

What a progression—after the children, the grannies! Yes, but not just any grannies. Here, I’m introducing you to very active grannies who are well in tune with their times, with their passions and their rants. Beating around the bush? That’s not their style…

Interview :

When I announced to those around me that it was “ Georgette Bellefeuille” who would be doing the interview this month, many were thrilled to get an update on her.

Hello Dan, so happy to see you again. What have you been up to all this time?

Lots of things. I wrote and directed short films and radio plays broadcast on France Inter, and I also wrote and performed my “one-woman shows”: Dolly Prasne sees life through rose-colored glasses, How I’m doing well! (which you saw recently), and Mamies Boum, which you will see soon.

Yes, we can’t get away from each other! I see you regularly on television in the reruns of “Les filles d’à côté”. Don’t you feel like coming back in a new project?

I’m not saying no. I’m waiting for the right proposal that will give me the desire for a comeback. In the meantime, I am dedicating myself to theater and writing.

Speaking of which, is theater important to you?

Yes. I like to share with people everything I have learned during my workshops, and if I can let others benefit from my experiences, that delights me. Besides, that was the theme of my play ‘How I’m doing well’. I treated fitness and well-being with humor.

Can you tell us more about your workshops?

They are psycho-energy workshops where we learn methods to improve one’s life, well-being, emotional state, and achieve simple healings by using them alone. I am referring to EFT, Lester Levinson, or Ho’oponopono.

What are your plans?

Immediately, the play Mamies Boum, written by 2, performed by 3. Otherwise, continuing to write scripts for short and feature films.

Before we leave, can you give our readers one last tip that you liked and adopted?

A well-being tip that I discovered and recommend to your readers. In the spring, start the miam ô fruit by France Guillain, very easy to make and which will save you from sunburns this summer. Even if it seems complicated at first, you’ll be doing it with your eyes closed very quickly.Thank you Dan….

Mamies Boum
Théâtre Popul’air du Reinitas
36 rue Henri Chevreau 75020 Paris

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 Paris Merveilles, the new revue of the Lido de Paris

For the beginning of spring, the famous Parisian cabaret located on the Champs Elysées is reopening its doors after a few good weeks of renovations to present its new revue Paris Merveilles, created and directed by Franco Dragone.

I had the chance to attend the dress rehearsal evening at the beginning of April. It was a magnificent evening. The Lido has truly had a makeover, and it is undeniably a success.

For foreign or provincial tourists, the Lido, as famous as the Eiffel Tower, is a must-see. You don’t leave Paris without having seen the Parisian revue. Except that here, the establishment had closed its doors since last December for a complete renovation.

The ambition was significant. Of course, the hall had a complete facelift, but so did the stage and its entire machinery, which will now be able to accommodate astonishing staging. This work lasted 4 months in total.

From now on, it is in a renovated Lido that international director Franco Dragone was chosen to present the new revue Paris Merveilles. Surrounded by a high-level team, with Yvan Cassar among others for the music, the director has been working for a year to provide dreams to the public.

The magic isn’t only on stage but also in the kitchen with chef Philippe Lacroix who, with his brigade, prepares a new menu featuring noble products. Note that the food is made on-site. Having tasted it, I can tell you it’s top-notch.

Obviously, a revue like this is thought through while keeping an eye on the evolution of live performance. But be careful: new is fine, but you must also keep the spirit of the place. I liked a sentence by Franco Dragone who said, “It will be the Lido version of the Lido, and not the Dragone version.”

For the show’s theme, the audience follows a young woman who left her tiny room under the Parisian rooftops to become the lead dancer of the Lido revue.

Cathy’s review:

For me, it’s a success. It’s modern, sensual, sexy without being vulgar. Sincerely, having seen the two previous revues, it was time to “dust off” the style. I am certain that this show will appeal to both the French and international public.

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Cairo by Night

Since I’ve been writing show selections on this blog, I have never told you about oriental dance. I find this dance so beautiful and sensual that today, on the occasion of the 5th edition of the International Oriental Dance Festival, I will finally share these rhythms from sunny countries with you.

From May 22 to 25, Cairo by Night is setting up at the Cigale in Paris. In addition to the evening performances, this festival, created in 2010 by Maria, an oriental dance teacher and choreographer, will also offer unique workshops. The program for these 3 days is full and intense.

The first day, Friday, May 22, will be a competition with an awards ceremony. The winner of the professional category will be able to perform on stage with the great stars of oriental dance the next day during the Gala evening. Note that this year, for the first time, the competition is organizing a children’s category.

The Gala will begin at 6:00 PM on Saturday, May 23, and will bring together the greatest international dancers on stage. This show will be sponsored by Nawel Debbouze, sister of you-know-who… €1 per ticket sold will be donated to the Unissons nos voix association, which aims to help battered women.

Sunday, May 24, for the Closing evening, the students will have the opportunity to dance on stage in front of the artists and the public. Amateur or professional dancers will be able to participate in the 36 hours of workshops until Monday, May 25, either à la carte or via a pass formula.

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Le p’tit monde de RENAUD

He is rare in the musical landscape, but Renaud is a singer very appreciated by the French public. Despite his distance, his beautiful songs are still in the hearts of the French people.

Why am I telling you about Renaud ? Because starting next June 9th, the Phénix troupe will perform at the Alhambra in Paris for a musical show featuring the characters from the singer’s songs: Lucien, Gérard Lambert, Manu…

The story :

The show reviews the 70s, when Lucien and his young delinquent friends would hang out on their mopeds to go to their last ball, and tells us of their disillusionments in the world in which they live. Here we are in the following decade with Lucien, who moves into public housing with a pregnant Pépette.

And it is in this same public housing that we find the characters we know well: the beauf (my favorite) and the Doudou. To quote a phrase from the troupe – this ‘tatannesque’ musical adventure – ends in the 2000s on a poetic and more intimate note. For 1 hour and 45 minutes, the artists will draw the spectators into the universe of Renaud.

Guillaume Cramoisan from the Phénix troupe and co-author of the show.

Le p’tit monde de RENAUD
Alhambra
21 rue Yves Toudic 75010 Paris

from June 9 to July 29, 2015

Price: from €28 to €32

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Festival YouHumour

In a few days, on May 5 and 6 to be exact, the 10th edition of a festival will take place, which in its past has launched the comedians of today on the French stage. For example, Kev Adams, the favorite of teenagers; Audrey Lamy, whom we see every evening in ‘Scènes de ménage’; or even Claudia Tagbo, a regular guest on Arthur‘s shows. I am referring to the Festival YouHumour.

If you like discovering new artists, the theme of the evening of May 5 is The Young Talents Evening. Presented by the very funny Shirley Souagnon, this evening will give a chance to 9 young laughter talents: Candiie, Kamini, Ahmed Sylla, Aymeric Lompret, Elodie Poux, Maxime Gasteuil, Julien Schmidt, Alex Ramires, Sébastien Marx.

The following day, May 6, the It will be better tomorrow evening will bring together the artists who have been making us laugh for some time already. Anne Roumanoff and her friends including Elie Semoun, Caroline Vigneaux (an artist we know well on the blog since we had you win tickets for her show in January), Sellig, and many others, want to laugh about everything, even about what is going wrong. Yet another great evening of laughter being prepared.

Festival YouHumour

Espace Michel Simon

36 rue de la république 93160 Noisy-Le-Grand

May 5 at 8:30 PM, price: €5

May 6 at 8:30 PM, price: €15

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Chinese music with Soul Journey

What I love about doing these articles is going to meet new cultures. For example, thanks to the Siong Leng Musical association, which will come to Paris for an exceptional evening on May 11 to present its show Soul Journey.

This association from Singapore preserves Nanyin, in other words, the Music of the South of China. Nanyin has existed for more than 2,000 years and is inscribed on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage. And it is within the framework of the Singapore festival in France that the Parisian, Châlonnais, and Nantais audiences will receive, by discovering this show, an enrichment of the soul and the spirit.

Before the performance, the spectators will have to submit to some rituals. The first will be to wash their hands before entering the performance hall. This ritual signifies the cleansing of the soul.

Following this will be the tasting of Chinese tea, which will allow the spectators (including Mademoiselle Bon Plan and myself, who will be part of the Parisian audience) to go for the duration of a show on a musical and spiritual journey. We will also discover the guzheng, which is a 21-string Chinese zither. We will certainly give you our impressions the very next day. In any case, I can’t wait to be there.

This show will be composed of eight pieces that will group the ideas of purity and happiness. Dance will also be present with dance figures from Liyuan opera.

Cathy’s review:

This show was made for me! I arrived 10 minutes late (thanks, RATP), sweaty, annoyed, well, you know how it is, but fortunately, the show hadn’t started yet. I sat down, and there I took off and really went on a musical journey. It relaxed me.

I appreciated these quality artists in a sublime location. For 90 minutes, I forgot that I was in Paris. This show is very enriching musically and intellectually. Must see!

Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord

37 bis boulevard de la chapelle, 75010 Paris

Monday, May 11, 2015, starting at 8:30 PM

prices: €25

Tips: youth price €12, reduced price €18

article written by Cathy