Folies Bergère

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The Folies Bergère /fɔli bɛʁʒɛːʁ/ is a famous Parisian music hall that is still in business, although it has seen better times. A sign on the facade says "The world's most famous music hall," but this is probably an exaggeration.

This music and concert hall has been around for more than a century, and its fortunes have varied over time. In the best of times, it attracted kings and aristocrats, and featured artists such as Josephine Baker (along with a surprising number of other American expat artists). It isn't terribly glamorous these days, but it still has events scheduled, although I noticed when taking this photo in July that the next event was scheduled for September. The inside looks a lot nicer than the outside. The Art Deco facade, built in in 1926, is a national historic landmark, although it looks like it could use some restoration.

The music hall gets its name from folies, which originally meant a kind of place where crazy events or things were to be found, and Bergère, the name of a nearby street (the other streets were named after families, and to avoid legal hassles the owner decided not to use any of those).

Photographed on July 15, 2008.