J'adore: "Les Folies de Marrakech"

I don’t swoon over the Moulin Rouge in Paris, but I love The Crazyhorse. I don’t like Victoria’s Secret Las Vegas Angels but am captivated by Cirque de Soleil.

Watching this clip of “Les Folies de Marrakech”,  I love this blend of Western decadence and Islam. Claude Thomas arrived in Marrakech after closing up his Parisian cabaret. In his own words, Thomas found a “new Las Vegas”.

Advised by the Moroccan consul in Lille to call the event a “music hall” instead of a “cabaret”, Thomas’ production lasts an hour and a half and takes the audience on a world tour with magicians, acrobats, pirates, a falconer, magic fountains, dance, music and comedy.

While Thomas may be the creative force behind the show, it is Islam that really lays down the law here. As such, his performers also serve as in-house consultants who let him know during rehearsals what will fly with local mores and what will not.

Let’s go visit Maryam.

Love,
Anne