Madame Arthur

Madame Arthur is a historic cabaret in Paris associated with gender-bending stage performance, travesti revue, and French popular song. It operates at 75 bis Rue des Martyrs in Pigalle, in the 18th arrondissement, a district long connected with cafés, music halls, nightlife, and theatrical entertainment. The venue takes its name from “Madame Arthur,” a well-known song written in the nineteenth century by Paul de Kock and associated with the singer Yvette Guilbert. The cabaret was established in 1946 by Marcel Ouizman, a Jewish pied-noir entrepreneur who had previously owned the club Le Binocle before the Second World War. His business associate, known as Floridor, initially served as host, but after Floridor’s death within the first months, the role was taken by Loulou, an ex-priest and poet. Loulou became an important figure in the venue’s early operation and later managed Madame Arthur and the more exclusive Le Carrousel de Paris with his common-law wife, Madame Germaine. Madame Arthur’s original format drew on female impersonation and 1930s-style revue. Performers, often described historically as transformistes or travesti artists, appeared in feminine presentation and generally interpreted popular songs. The performances combined singing, comedy, parody, costume, and theatrical exaggeration. The venue’s first major revue star was Maslowa, a former ballet dancer who performed an interpretation of Yvette Guilbert. Loulou acted as compère, typically appearing in masculine clothing. Accounts of the period describe the cabaret as intimate, crowded, and highly participatory, with a compact room, closely arranged tables, a bar near the entrance, and dressing rooms and sewing facilities integrated into the building. The postwar regulatory environment was restrictive. In February 1949, the Paris prefecture announced an edict aimed at “travesti” attractions and shows on the grounds that they encouraged immorality. Madame Arthur initially complied, but the regulation also influenced how some performers presented themselves. Some artists reportedly took hormones and grew their hair in order to avoid being accused of cross-dressing. During the 1950s, the venue became connected with a wider network of performers who were exploring or pursuing gender transition, including Coccinelle, Fétiche, and Bambi. Other artists associated with Madame Arthur include Baddabou, Cricri, Chantaline, Erika Keller, Estelle Roederer, Angélique Lagerfeld, Chablie, Yeda Brown, Dominot, and Bambi. Madame Arthur functioned partly as a training ground for performers seeking to progress to Le Carrousel de Paris, which had a more exclusive reputation. Its own artistic style was generally more comic and deliberately theatrical, presenting femininity through humor and popular entertainment rather than the polished spectacle associated with Le Carrousel. The venue also has a connection with Serge Gainsbourg’s early musical development. His father, Joseph Ginsburg, known as Père Jo, was the cabaret’s pianist from its beginning. Serge Gainsbourg sometimes replaced him from 1954 and wrote several early songs for the revue, although a number of these compositions were not published during his lifetime. The Madame Arthur name was expanded abroad when Ouizman opened another venue under the same name in Amsterdam in 1961, using artists from Paris alongside local talent. The Amsterdam establishment later became the Heineken Music Hall. Ouizman retired from the business in 1985, and the Paris cabaret eventually closed in 1994. After years of closure, the Paris venue was restored and reopened in November 2015. The reopening was carried out by the neighboring Divan du Monde, with which the buildings were combined into a single cabaret-club complex in 2015. In its contemporary form, Madame Arthur presents a troupe of artists performing French-language covers, including both classic and more modern songs, accompanied by piano and accordion. Its current identity combines historical cabaret heritage, queer and gender-nonconforming performance traditions, live music, and an intimate nightlife setting in Pigalle.

Madame Arthur’s history is closely connected with the entertainment culture of Rue des Martyrs and the Pigalle district. Before the area was incorporated into Paris, the road was known for inexpensive alcohol and popular neighborhood venues. A ballroom and musette establishment operating in the area was later transformed into the Brasserie des Martyrs, which attracted figures including Charles Baudelaire, Edgar Degas, and Jules Vallès. In 1871, the site became the café-chantant Divan Japonais, decorated in a Japanese-inspired style. This earlier entertainment history provided the setting for Madame Arthur’s later development. Marcel Ouizman opened Madame Arthur in 1946. Ouizman, a Jewish pied-noir who had owned Le Binocle before the war, named the new cabaret after a famous song written by Paul de Kock in 1860 and performed by Yvette Guilbert. Floridor acted as an early business partner and host, but after Floridor died during the first months, Loulou assumed the hosting role. Loulou, described as an ex-priest and poet, became the venue’s compère and later managed Madame Arthur and Le Carrousel de Paris with Madame Germaine. The cabaret presented female impersonation in a revue style descended from the entertainment conventions of the 1930s. Its artists performed popular songs while using costume, makeup, comedy, parody, and deliberately theatrical femininity. Maslowa, a former ballet dancer, became the first important star of the venue. She performed as Yvette Guilbert, while Loulou appeared as the masculine compère. Later recollections describe Maslowa as a charismatic host who engaged customers before and during the show and used a performance style combining elegance, self-mockery, improvisation, and recurring comic routines. In February 1949, a prefectural edict prohibited or restricted “travesti” attractions and shows, characterizing them as a threat to public morality. Madame Arthur initially followed the order. The policy nevertheless had consequences for performers: some artists reportedly altered their appearance and pursued hormonal changes so that they would not be accused of cross-dressing under the regulation. During the 1950s, the cabaret became part of the Parisian environment in which performers such as Coccinelle, Fétiche, and Bambi developed careers and sought medical transition. Baddabou, Cricri, Chantaline, Erika Keller, Estelle Roederer, Angélique Lagerfeld, Chablie, Yeda Brown, Dominot, and others are also associated with the venue. Madame Arthur and Le Carrousel served different but related functions. Madame Arthur was generally more comic and accessible, with performers using gender presentation as material for parody and audience interaction. Le Carrousel had a more exclusive reputation and represented a possible professional progression for artists who developed at Madame Arthur. The two venues were connected through Ouizman’s management and through the careers of performers who moved between them. Music was central to the cabaret’s identity. Joseph Ginsburg, known as Père Jo and the father of Serge Gainsbourg, was the pianist from the beginning. From 1954, Serge Gainsbourg occasionally replaced his father and wrote early compositions for the revue. These included songs associated with performers such as Lucky Sarcell, although some compositions were never recovered and others remained unpublished until after Gainsbourg’s death. Ouizman extended the brand to Amsterdam in 1961, opening another Madame Arthur with Parisian performers Rita Del Ora and Capucine alongside local artists. That venue later became the Heineken Music Hall. Ouizman retired in 1985, and the Paris cabaret closed in 1994. The original Paris site remained closed for many years before being restored and reopened in November 2015. The reopening was undertaken by Divan du Monde, the neighboring venue, and the two buildings were combined into one cabaret-club complex. The contemporary Madame Arthur presents a resident troupe performing French-language versions and covers of classic and modern songs, generally accompanied by piano and accordion. Its present form continues the venue’s historic relationship with theatrical gender play while framing it through live music, cabaret comedy, and queer nightlife.

• 2015

  Restored venue reopens and joins Divan du Monde complex

  [1]Madame Arthuren.wikipedia.org

  Madame Arthur reopens in November after restoration, with the adjacent Divan du Monde forming a combined cabaret-club site.

• 1994

  Original Paris cabaret closes

  [1]Madame Arthuren.wikipedia.org

  The historic Rue des Martyrs venue closes after a long period of operation.

• 1985

  Marcel Ouizman retires

  [1]Madame Arthuren.wikipedia.org

  Ouizman retires from the business after decades associated with Madame Arthur and Le Carrousel de Paris.

• 1961

  Amsterdam venue opens

  [1]Madame Arthuren.wikipedia.org

  Ouizman launches a second Madame Arthur in Amsterdam with Parisian and local performers.

• 1954

  Serge Gainsbourg begins occasional appearances as pianist

  [1]Madame Arthuren.wikipedia.org

  Serge Gainsbourg sometimes replaces his father, Joseph Ginsburg, as pianist and writes early songs for the cabaret revue.

• 1949

  Prefectural restrictions affect travesti shows

  [1]Madame Arthuren.wikipedia.org

  A Paris prefectural edict targets travesti attractions and prompts Madame Arthur to initially suspend or modify the affected performances.

• 1946

  Madame Arthur opens in Paris

  [1]Madame Arthuren.wikipedia.org

  Marcel Ouizman establishes the cabaret at 75 bis Rue des Martyrs in the Pigalle district.

A historic Parisian cabaret rooted in travesti and gender-bending revue, now presented as an intimate live-performance venue centered on French song, theatrical humor, and queer nightlife culture.

• Live entertainment · 1946

  Madame Arthur cabaret revue

  The core offering is a live cabaret revue built around a troupe of performers. Historically, the format combined female impersonation, gender-bending presentation, comedy, parody, costume, and interpretations of popular songs. The contemporary revue retains the theatrical and queer cabaret tradition while presenting French-language covers of classic and modern repertoire.

• Music performance · 2015

  French song performances

  Madame Arthur’s current program centers on French-language songs performed live, including older chanson and more modern popular material. Piano and accordion accompaniment support the intimate revue format and connect the present venue with the musical traditions of Parisian cabaret.

• Cabaret performance · 1946

  Travesti and gender-bending performance

  The venue’s historical distinction is its use of gender transformation and theatrical femininity as central performance devices. Earlier acts often emphasized comic impersonation and parody, while the venue also provided a professional environment for performers connected with the development of postwar transgender and travesti nightlife in Paris.

• 2015

  Restoration and relaunch of the Paris venueStrategy

  Background

  The original cabaret had been closed for many years following its 1994 closure.

  Action taken

  Divan du Monde restored the site and reopened Madame Arthur in November as part of a combined cabaret-club complex.

  Aftermath

  The venue returned to operation with a troupe performing French-language covers accompanied by piano and accordion.

  Source

• 1961

  Expansion to AmsterdamStrategy

  Background

  After establishing Madame Arthur in Paris, Marcel Ouizman pursued an international extension of the cabaret name.

  Action taken

  Ouizman opened a second Madame Arthur in Amsterdam with Paris-based artists Rita Del Ora and Capucine and additional local performers.

  Aftermath

  The Amsterdam venue later became the Heineken Music Hall.

  Source

• 1949

  Compliance with restrictions on travesti attractionsOther

  Background

  The Paris prefecture announced an edict targeting travesti attractions and shows, presenting them as contrary to public morality.

  Action taken

  Madame Arthur initially complied with the regulation and modified or suspended the affected form of entertainment.

  Aftermath

  The restrictions shaped performers’ presentation and contributed to pressure on some artists to alter their appearance or pursue physical changes to avoid accusations of cross-dressing.

  Source

• 2015

  Madame Arthur reopens after restoration[1]Madame Arthuren.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  The historic cabaret reopened in November after restoration, with the venue integrated into a combined cabaret-club complex alongside the neighboring Divan du Monde.

• 1994

  Paris venue closes after Marcel Ouizman’s retirement[1]Madame Arthuren.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The original Paris cabaret closed after Ouizman had retired from the business in 1985.

• 1961

  Madame Arthur name expands to Amsterdam[1]Madame Arthuren.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Marcel Ouizman opened a second Madame Arthur in Amsterdam with Paris-based and local performers. The site later became the Heineken Music Hall.

• 1949

  French prefecture targets travesti performances[1]Madame Arthuren.wikipedia.org

  Regulation

  A prefectural edict sought to prohibit or restrict travesti attractions and shows. Madame Arthur initially complied, while the wider policy affected performers’ public presentation and careers.

• 1946

  Madame Arthur opens in postwar Paris[1]Madame Arthuren.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Marcel Ouizman opened the Madame Arthur cabaret on Rue des Martyrs, establishing the venue that would become associated with French travesti and gender-bending revue.

1. 1Madame Arthuren.wikipedia.org
2. 2Madame Arthur official websitemadamearthur.fr