Folies-Bergere, a famous music-hall in Paris, which opened on 2 May 1869 with a mixed bill of light opera and pantomime. It soon became the rendezvous of the young men of the town, who either watched the successive turns on the stage or loitered in the immense promenade which was one of the great attractions of the house. The Folies-Bergere caters to a large extent for visitors, whether French or foreign, and one of the main features of every programme is a bevy of beautiful young women, either stark naked or clad only in inessentials. For the rest, the turns consist of acrobats, singers, and sketches, the last extremely vulgar or surpassingly beautiful, the scenic resources of the theatre being immense though its stage is small. Many of the greatest names of the entertainment world have appeared on its bills.

In: Hartnoll, Phyllis, ed. The concise Oxford companion to the theatre. 1st ed. London: Oxford University Press, 1972.  ISBN 0-19-281102-9. p. 184

Author: Hartnoll Phyllis