The dancers and the nightly cabaret shows of the famous Parisian club lidoin Campos Elíseos, are called to disappear after their new owner confirmed mass layoffs on Thursday.
The Lido, born after World War II, has attracted for more than seven decades with its racy dance shows, featuring towering women in feathers, high heels and little else.
Although it has tried to modernize its actions and adapt to the times, the venue has been losing money for years and changed hands at the end of 2021.
The new owner is the French hospitality giant Accorwhich he told staff on Thursday that would lay off 157 of 184 employees, including its company of dancersseveral sources told the AFP.
“The Lido is finished. All the artistic staff, that is to say about 60 people, will disappear,” said a union source, who requested anonymity.
Accor would intend to convert the premises into a venue for musical shows.
Cabaret dances first appeared during the French “Belle Époque”at the end of the 19th century, when the capital was a hive of artists.
The Moulin Rouge remains the city’s best-known spectacle, largely thanks to publicity for Bas Luhrmann’s 2001 film of the same name.
The covid-19 pandemic dealt a severe setback to the Lido, as restrictions forced it to close temporarily and also paralyzed tourism and international travel, which alienated its main clientele.
Changes in animal welfare legislation also ended the presence of exotic animals.
And changes in attitudes toward women and nudity meant his show was seen as increasingly dated.
This will be the twilight of a place that gave space to the emblematic nights of Paris.