Le Lapin Agile

Time to turn over a new leaf. Because of changes in my life (and my wife’s) over the past 4 or 5 months, I’ve let things drop here on my blog. I’ve had time to recharge — at least I hope so — hence it’s back to regular updates. Let’s see how this goes…

A couple of weeks back we were in Paris for the Marathon (well she was, I’m just the spectator waving from the sidelines), but it was a bit of a mess. Our flights there were originally Denver to Chicago and then Chicago to Paris, but United had to cancel the first flight. After some kerfuffle I managed to get us rerouted with a direct flight to Frankfurt and then from there to Paris. Unfortunately half our luggage did not make it there with us, it arrived three days late. Since some of her running stuff was in that suitcase, the Marathon was off for her. Damn.

On one of the days we were there, we went to the Petit Palais to wander around the exhibition they had on: “Le Paris de la Modernité 1905-1925”. In the first room there was this photo of Le Lapin Agile from 1904. Of course this rang a great big bell with me: just over a year ago, I was cast as Freddy in “Picasso at the Lapin Agile” by Steve Martin at the Millibo Art Theater here in the Springs.

Le Lapin Agile in 1904

Here’s the museum’s description:

Characteristic of the mix of social classes specific to Montmartre, the Lapin Agile Cabaret attracted bad boys, libertarian singers, writers, as well as artists of all kinds. A singer of romances and realistic songs, Frédéric Gérard, known as Father Frédé, took over the cabaret in 1905. A colorful character, he sported a long beard, and wore an outfit redolent of “Robinson Crusoe, [an] Alaskan trapper, and [a] Calabrian bandit”, to quote critic André Warnod.

Wait, what? Freddy was for real? But spelled Frédé? Eh ben, dis donc.

Of course, at that point, we just had to go to Montmartre and take a photo of Le Lapin Agile as it is now.

Le Lapin Agile in 2024

Pretty much the same but tarted up somewhat. What a giggle.

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