Lido de Paris
ido de Paris is a cabaret and burlesque show at the Champs-Élysées in France that was opened in 1946. It is very popular for having exotic shows that include singers, dancers and other entertainers, with famous names who had performed here including Siegfried and Roy, Edith Piaf, Johnny Hallyday, Sylvie Vartan, Marlene Dietrich, Maurice Chevalier, Eartha Kitt, Kessler Twins, Josephine Baker, Dalida, Laurel & Hardy, Mitzi Gaynor, Shirley MacLaine, Noël Coward, Juliet Prowse and Elton John.
Brief History
Lido de Paris was founded by Joseph and Louis Clérico and was opened on the 20th of June in 1946. In the 1920s, its location was preceded by an artificial beach in a townhouse basement that ran as a casino and nightclub in the late hours of the night. In 1955, the Clérico brothers brought Le Lido to the Stardust Resort and Casino after it was visited by Stardust’s entertainment director, which started a series of imports of Parisian cabaret shows to Las Vegas. However, the Stardust edition of Le Lido shut down in 1992 and Le Lido was moved to the Normandie on the Champs-Élysées in 1977. In 2006, the international food service company, Sodexo, bought out Le Lido, investing 24 million euro to develop its show existing at that time.
The cabaret develops a new version of its show every few years, unlike in the past when it changed more frequently, with each show taking millions of dollars to develop.
The Show
On April 2, 2015, Le Lido de Paris released a new version of its show, which was developed by Franco Dragone that, like its previous shows, makes up 10-20 scenes, running for about 1.5 hours. It runs 2 shows every day, with a pre-show dinner offered with the first evening show. Each show features dancers and singers, which always include the popular Bluebell Girls, but a few featured showgirls, singers and dancers may be added. The burlesque show is known its dramatic and striking costumes that usually feature feathers, rhinestones, top-quality furs and rich fabrics that cost thousands of dollars.
The Bluebell Girls
The Bluebell Girls were founded by Margaret Kelly, who is also known as Miss Bluebell. Until Kelly retired in 1986, each performer was hand-picked by her. Now, these performers, who come from various parts of the world, are directed by Pierre Rambert and are noted for their statuesque height, which averages 5’ 11”. While many of them are French, a large number come from Britain, with the tall statuesque girls usually coming from the US and South Africa. Other girls also come from Ukraine and from many former Soviet Republics.
Le Lido and the Media
Gary Smith and Dwight Hemion’s Le Lido production “Shirley Maclaine” was nominated for Outstanding Comedy-Variety or Music Program at the Emmy. As for the Bluebell Girls, they were featured in an episode of “Close-Up”, a Canadian TV show broadcast on the CBC, in 1960. Numerous clips of its shows and even full videos are available on YouTube.