Moulin Rouge- Worth it?
 

I'm just wondering if any one has gone to the moulin rouge to see a show when they have been in Paris, and if so, was it worth the cost? I'll be traveling to Paris w/my 3 best friends in June and thought it might be fun to go see.

I went to see Moulin Rouge in March and i thought it was kind of like disney for adults. you get in line they usher you to a seat, you get a cheap drink, the show is glitzy boarding on tacky and topless, it ends and they usher you out so the next group comes in.
My partner loved it, i could have done without it.

P. T. Barnum put it best...there's one born every minute.

Well, I'm sorry but i have to disagree with USNR especially for the passive-aggressive "you are a sucker if you go" routine and here is why:

We went to the show this past Summer. They have a dress code and unlike a lot of other places in Paris, they ENFORCE it..the Japanese folks who showed up in line ahead of us in their shorts were very firmly DENIED entry.

The show itself, from a theatrical point of view was well-lit, well-rehearsed, and tightly presented. It remains the obvious basis for all the Vegas review type shows which vegas has taken and run with.

There is only ONE way to know if it is worth it and that is to see it for yourself. I did not think it was cheap and tawdry..it was, and is, a theatrical event.

Some like it and some don't. To imply that you are some sort of stupid jerk because you wish to spend your money in "that" way is about as dirtball level as it gets IMO.

Agree with Intrepid that if you like the Las Vegas-style shows, then you will probably like the Moulin Rouge. If you don't, you probably won't. Different strokes for different folks--and just because you like entertainment that differs from what I like that doesn't make you a sucker.

So, this thread can be a platform for determining which are the more offensive terms: "sucker"? (not explicitly used); "dirtball"? Nazi? tyrant? TravelerToGo?

Curious minds want to know.

Best wishes,

Rex

"There's one born every minute." "PT Barnem." Can't mean anything but sucker.

I think Nazi is worse. Though for many people "American tourist" seems to be the ultimate insult.

Others have recommended just seeing the show, and not having the dinner/show combination. The dinner portion was just OK for the price. Have dinner before or after the show. ((b))

I saw the show last year and was surprised that I really liked it. I agree with everything that Intreipd1 says.

"Well, I'm sorry but i have to disagree with USNR especially for the passive-aggressive "you are a sucker if you go" routine"

I don't get the passive-aggressive linkage above.

BTW, the show is a rip off - tacky and expensive. You can find much better things to do with your time and money.

Hi SP,

Most people agree that the dinner is not worth the money.

As for the show, you will like it, if you like that sort of thing.

((I))

Honestly before I saw the show I felt like Cato and didn't think I'd 'like that sort of thing'. But to me it wasn't a tacky topless show; it was a pretty good variety show instead.

It's up to you to decide from these mixed comments if it'll be 'worth it'.

Thanks everyone. It sounds like the dinner isn't worth it. I think we'll go see the show though. I've never been to a show like this before, so I think it'll be a new and fun experience and interesting if nothing else!

If you do go, do not wear anything that closely resembles a sneaker or tennis shoe -- they will not let you in. ((b))

I haven't seen the show so can't comment, but you might like to cross check prices for various Las Vegas shows to see how they compare, and also cross-check the prices for other Paris shows (Lido, etc.) It's the only objective standard I can think of to serve as a basis for comparison. I saw a similar type of show years ago, and frankly I thought I got as much out of watching old 'Busby Berkley' movies, but others have seen this show and enjoyed it, and perhaps you will, too.

"BTW, the show is a rip off - tacky and expensive. You can find much better things to do with your time and money. "


When did you see it, Cato?

Keith

I think Intrepid, et al are right -- this is just personal preference for entertainment, it's not some secret thing that one can be suckered into or that can be a ripoff. It's a tourist variety/entertainment show and people know what it is, you either like that kind of thing or don't. How can it be a ripoff if you are told the price in advance and willingly pay it?

Top Las Vegas shows cost between $75-100 and the big name entertainers or Cique de Soleil cost more than that. You can get a garden variety nothing show in LV for maybe $50, but there are tons of those in town to compete.

This isn't my cup of tea, either, but isn't not some secret ripoff of unsuspecting tourists who are promised something completely different and misled. I wouldn't go and it wouldn't be worth that money to me, but that goes for lots of things others care to spend money on, also.

I guess it's not worth it if someone paid for the show and went there with much higher expectations. What type of show they were expecting?

I've never been - not my cup of tea. But I would point out that it is in Pigalle - which is a grotty red-light area full of sex shops, blue movie cinemas etc. It's also not well served by restaurants (although there's a decent Irish pub near to the Moulin Rouge if you fancy a drink).

However it is also quite close (ie 5-10 mins walk) from Montmartre which does have many very good restaurants with many different cuisines on offer - so if you decide to opt out of the meal, you have plenty of good choices nearby.

Go to the Opera or Ballet instead.

Go to Vegas for the dancing girls.

I saw MR last year because it was my first time in Paris and I thought that it was pretty good. I also got dinner with the show - the food was not too great, but the champagne was excellent. For me it was worth it just for a one time experience. If you're curious about it, you should go. If you enjoy it then great, if not, then you'll know.

A small piece of Parisian history that, in today's incarnation, may have alot to do with tourisim and trading in on that history rather than preserving a piece of the past. I saw it, albeit a few years ago, and am glad that I "did it" (much like drinking a shot of tequila with the preserved earthworm in it in Mexico...) but I'm not in a hurry to repeat the experience. Besides, all of my friends and I have medical training, so perhaps we were distracted by some of the ladies' obvious breast enhancement surgery scars...

I saw the Moulin Rouge in May 2005. I was part of an escorted tour through Europe and the tour escort made the arrangements for the 18 of us who wanted to see the Moulin Rouge. It was very pricey but my husband wanted to see it. To my surprise I enjoyed the dinner. I expected rubber chicken but we got a steak that was perfect, all the champagne and wine one could want...and the show itself was fine. Tastefully done and the comedian was funny. Another thing was the dance music before the show with people dancing if they wanted to. So our table did go up and dance.
Experiencing MR once was fine. Going again, no. Very expensive.

My 22 year old son loved it so what does that mean?

My in-laws loved it, and they love spending a week at a time in Branson, MO too.

We thought it was cheesy.

It's all a matter of taste, and I do think it's a matter of if you're one of those "Show" type people. We had more fun at a showing of Les Miserable in London.

Jules

It is all a matter of personal taste. I don't care for either Vegas-style shows or simplistic, mushy, flashy
London/Broadway shows like Les "Miserable." Is there even one song from that dreadful piece of schlock that anyone can (or cares to) hum on the way out of the theater or sing in the shower?

But I would bet there might even be people who wouldn't care for the entertainment I like. And so what?

I guess we all have our own opinions. I went on our last trip and personally liked it. It is very much like a Las Vegas revue and well done. I like Las Vegas revues. We did get seats up front and that might have made a difference. We got the dinner and maybe that is why our seats were close.

Yes its touristy but there were plenty of Parisians there as well.

The dinner/show patrons sit on the main floor so the stage is closer than the drinks only patrons.

<< ...and the comedian was funny... >>

The comedian was in English? or not particularly verbal? (physical comedy?) or is your French that good?

If the explanation is the first or the last, I am astonished!

Best wishes,

Rex

In all my times in Paris I have never been but I would like to at some point. All of my life I have heard and read about the Moulin Rouge so I would like to experience it at least one time.

Isn't the cancan the most famous dance in the world? Do the girls dance it?
Is it still in it's original building? What is the price for just the show?

Now I am humming the song....

Hi SU,

>Isn't the cancan the most famous dance in the world?

It was, once.

Do the girls dance it?

Not really. The point of the can-can was that the audience could see the dancers' underwear.

Is it still in it's original building?

No

What is the price for just the show?

about 90E

See http://www.simplytaty.com/history/moulinrouge.htm

((I))