Moulin Rouge - take a 12 year old ??
 

Firstly I dont know if a 12 year old can get in to the Moulin Rouge or if she's too young.

Does anyone have an opinion on whether I should take my daughter to a Cancan show?

She and I are going to Paris for 4 nights in April .

Is it easy to find by Metro ?

Here's a thread where you can see lots of differing opinions about a similar question:

http://fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2

Hello :
I am a parisian leaving not very far from the Moulin Rouge. Have never been there (you know how we feel about these tourist Shows !) but I think can be suitable for a 12 year old (Crazy Horse maybe not because they are naked). Easy to find by Metro "Blanche" or "Place de Clichy" or "Abbesses" depending on where you stay.
Have a nice holiday.

Hi HL,

It is highly unlikely that you will see the cancan performed.

See http://www.moulinrouge.fr

((I))

The Moulin Rouge allows kids (age 6 and up), and the show is quite spectacular, so kids would probably find it interesting. It's expensive, though.

Hi Ira, apparently you haven't been to see the show. The finale includes the cancan.

I went to the Folies Bergère when I was six years old and loved it. Also went to the Casino de Paris, which also did that type of show back then. The Lido and the Moulin Rouge are still going, and it is all considered to be fine family entertainment. Probably not the Crazy Horse Saloon, however.

Hi F,

I admit that I haven't been there in some years.

Is that this year's show that has the can can?

The website doesn't mention it.

((I))

I saw the show in 2004 and the Feerie spectacle was shown since then. The cancan was performed during the finale. Besides I thought that the cancan is synonymous with the Moulin Rouge and would be part of the act during any year.

The distinctive feature of the Crazy Horse is not nudity but unusual stage lighting, for which it is well known. It is true that there is nudity in the show, although I think nudity upsets adults a lot more than kids.

With respect to the Moulin Rouge:
1. The cancan is the last number.
2. Topless is the order of the day.
3. Lots of tourists, little (to no) authenticity.
4. I would take my daughter to a Cancan show, but NOT to the Moulin Rouge show -- the prices, atmosphere, and show is perhaps not the most appropriate for a 12-yearold.
Just a personal opinion!
Have fun.

I loved the Moulin Rouge and think their acts and performances are wonderful. We saw Faerie also (2000) and I don't recall any kids but we went to the midnight show. If you don't mind your 12 year old seeing it, I see nothing wrong with taking her.

You can check out the rules and regs at http://www.moulinrouge.fr/home-flash-fr.html

I think the Moulin Rouge is in far better taste than the music videos on MTV adn VH-1. That is just my personal opinion. :-)

For those that have been, is it worth the money do you think? Is it really unique entertainment? We would be four adults going. I haven't really had a desire to do one of these night spots, but if it is a pretty cool experience, maybe we should rethink this...What did you think? I know, it is a tourist trap of sorts, but if it is fun and worth the money, I would be game...

Wow, I just looked it up. The show is 97 Euro and that includes a small bottle of champagne. I think that must be some awesome show. Whew!

Been there, done that, spent the money JUST to say I did it. The only interesting part of the show was identifying all the plastic surgery scars from the boob jobs on stage -- we're very clinical. Sad, but true.

I thought it was worth every cent, but that's just me. I went with a group of friends who felt the same way. One of them turned into my husband eventually..They had a lot of entertain unrelated to naked chicks and can can dancing. They had jugglers, mimes, all kinds of interesting acts. The one I saw was more like a Cirque de Soleil. As I said earlier it was called Faerie, so I don't know what their current show runs. I thought it was spectacular and well worth the money, but again, that is just one girls opinion...!

We went with a group of people, One women brought her 12 year old son. I felt a little uncomfortable having him along since most of the numbers are performed by topless women. He however, was bored with the whole show. The place is really crowded and there is much drinking and smoking. I was concerned about getting out of the old fire trap. You are crammed in like sardines and after the waiter leaves the champagne you get no further service. Good luck getting into the restrooms. The atmosphere on the street outside is not suitable for most adults much less a child. Be sure you know where the taxi stands are. We got separated from our friends when the roller blading crowd came by. They were stuck on the opposite side of the street for quite sometime. They were approached by prostitiutes and drug dealers. They were a bit rattled by the time they got back to us .

Prostitutes and drug dealers? I've never been approached by either on that street. There's quite a crowd of tourists around the Moulin Rouge most of the time and it isn't particularly dangerous, although the neighborhood is rather seedy (but what can one expect of an area that became famous for sex?).

The first thing I do when going into any crowded place is locate the fire exits. Unfortunately a lot of places in France lock the fire exits (even Starbucks and McDonald's), so beware.

I think you know the answer now - don't do it!

Hmmm. A 12 year old is probably in the 7th or 8th grade. What possible reason would justify exposing this young girl to an environment which is expensive, adult, alcoholic and somewhat sexually charged both inside and outside. You can make all the arguments you want about experiencing different cultures but how do you get past the "she's 12 yrs. old!" And don't give us the "she can see worse on MTV or the cinemas"--that's for the parent to deal with privately. Going with her implicitly endorses the experience with all the consequences and trappings because it's not necessary. There's plenty else to do in Paris for 4 days. Don't open this Pandora's Box!