At Michou or at Chouchou? Gad Elmaleh will buy the Parisian cabaret

The cabaret will change its name. The actor and comedian Gad Elmaleh was chosen by the courts to buy the business of the emblematic Parisian cabaret Chez Michou, in liquidation, according to the judgment consulted Tuesday by AFP. By taking over this iconic place in Montmartre, Gad Elmaleh « will make it a place of comedy and humor, while keeping the soul of the place », explained to AFP the actor’s communications department, which however did not buy the Chez Michou brand.

Also readThe Chez Michou cabaret closes its doors and awaits its legal liquidator

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« It will no longer be called Chez Michou »

The founder of the establishment, nicknamed Michou, died at the beginning of 2020. The transformist cabaret then experienced financial difficulties and was put into liquidation in mid-July. Gad Elmaleh, 53, was chosen by the Paris commercial court to take over the premises, closed since the end of June before their 68th birthday, and whose 23 employees were dismissed.

For Catherine Catty-Jacquart, Michou’s niece, « Gad Elmaleh will continue to bring life to 80, rue des Martyrs, which has fallen into good hands as Michou would have liked. We would have been unfortunate if the place became anything other than a cabaret ». « It will no longer be called Chez Michou, but Gad will make it a very beautiful place. It’s a very good thing to turn the page, taking a turn »she told AFP.

The cover by Gad Elmaleh seems logical: a figure of French humor, the artist interpreted the character of “Chouchou”, a colorful and exuberant transvestite. Created on stage, it earned him one of his biggest theatrical successes with the comedy “Pet”where his character frequents a cabaret in the northern suburbs, L’Apocalypse. The film attracted 3.8 million spectators when it was released in 2003. For this role, Gad Elmaleh was nominated for the César for best actor. Gad Elmaleh is not the only comedian to have his own theater. Before him, Fary, Jamel and Kev Adams launched their «comedy club».

« Blue Prince of Montmartre »

With the business of “Chez Michou”, Gad Elmaleh offers himself an internationally known address, including the emblematic founder, nicknamed “the blue prince of Montmartre”inspired in the 1970s The Crazy Cage to actor and author Jean Poiret.

Among the most popular icons of Parisian nights, Michou and his cabaret had become French symbols, as popular as the Moulin Rouge, Le Lido and Crazy Horse. “The Michou cabaret is a big family. We stick together as much as we can but we feel a lot of bitterness”Michou’s niece, who had taken over the reins since the death of her uncle, told AFP.

Cradle of transformism and the smallest cabaret in Paris, Chez Michou presented a dinner show with extravagant transvestites nicknamed the «Michettes»imitating stars of song and cinema like Sylvie Vartan, Annie Girardot, Johnny Hallyday, Mireille Mathieu or Dalida. In deficit for three years, the cabaret was confronted, according to its former director, “to strikes, demonstrations and parking problems, especially for coaches”causing reservations to collapse.

 

It may seem pretentious but the cabaret will not survive me

Michou in his memoirs

However, drag queen shows and transformist shows have seen a resurgence of interest in recent years, driven by establishments which have been able to appeal more to a young and trendy audience, such as Madame Arthur, also located in Montmartre. In his memoirs published in 2017, Michou estimated that his cabaret should not survive him. “I want this house to disappear with me. It may seem pretentious but the cabaret will not survive me”he said then. A few months before his death, he finally changed his mind under pressure from «Michettes».