Tacky it may be, but the Folies-Bergère still stands after 125 years. Its bar has been immortalized on canvas by Manet, and this was where the likes of Mistinguett and Josephine Baker thrilled the audiences of the années folles, while the acrobatic Tiller Girls swung along astride their merry-go-round horses under its dome. The Folies-Bergère has today lost much of its sparkle and daring. Feathers, bare breasts, sequins, and plastic smiles seem a little systematic, as the army of dancers goes through its repertoire of Bal à Versailles or the Eiffel Tower cancan. Whatever, it is still the least pretentious of the Parisian cabarets and won’t cost you an arm and a leg.
