The Folies Bergère stages its first revue

Background. The Folies Bergère is a cabaret music hall located in Paris, France. It originally opened on 2 May 1869 as the Folies Trévise, offering light entertainment such as operettas, comic opera, popular songs, and gymnastics. In 1886, the venue underwent a transformation in its programming under the direction of Édouard Marchand, who conceived a new genre of entertainment for the music hall.

The First Revue. On 30 November 1886, the Folies Bergère staged the first revue-style music hall show, Place au jeûne !. This event was a tremendous success. The performance featured Alice Berthier and scantily clad chorus girls, establishing the revue as a new genre of entertainment for the venue.

Economic Context. Revues generally took advantage of their high revenue stream to lure away performers from other media, often offering exorbitant weekly salaries without the unremitting travel demanded by other entertainments. While these economic factors characterized the genre, the specific connection to the 1886 event's success is not explicitly stated in the sources.