“Some people asked us if we were going to open this evening, but still, we shouldn’t exaggerate, it has no impact on activity! » Fanny Rabasse, press officer at the Moulin Rouge, has been inundated with phone calls since the wings of the legendary Parisian cabaret collapsed. An especially symbolic event since there were no injuries and there will therefore be no impact on the activity. But that still opens two or three questions.
What happened ?
“The wings of the Moulin Rouge came down around 1:45 a.m., the time at which the Moulin Rouge had closed its doors,” explains the management of the establishment in a press release. “No injuries” were reported, “the spectators of the second show had all already left,” we learned. The letters M, O and U of the name of the cabaret, located on the facade, have also fallen.
One thing is certain, according to management, this has nothing to do with a “malicious act.” “It’s obviously a technical problem,” Jean-Victor Clerico, general manager of the legendary Parisian night spot, told the press. Nothing to do with a lack of maintenance or overhaul either, since a specialized company came every two months to check the engine and the general condition of the wings. The last maintenance visit dates back to March 20, management indicates.
“We never take risks,” assures Fanny Rabasse, who concludes: “We don’t know what happened. » “The causes of the technical incident will be clarified so that it does not happen again,” assures the press release, while the police prefect of the capital, Laurent Nuñez, assures that “security architects from the police prefecture » went there.
What impact on the shows?
There will be no consequences on the shows. “The Moulin Rouge will be open this evening and will welcome its 1,700 spectators like every day, with the passion and enthusiasm that make its reputation,” assures the press release. A way of saying that it is not an accident of this kind that will disrupt a century-old institution like the Moulin Rouge.
“The Mill is 135 years old, so it has seen some bad times,” assures Jean-Victor Clerico. We will take up the challenge. » Nothing stops the French cancan, the dancers in petticoats and the frills. The Moulin Rouge still attracts 600,000 spectators per year.
When will the Moulin Rouge wings return?
It’s difficult to look at the Moulin Rouge without its wings… No wonder, since they have been rotating in the Paris sky for 135 years. But knowing their return date is another story. “We will know more in a few days,” assures the cabaret’s press officer, who is still waiting for responses to her quote requests. In short, let’s not be in too much of a hurry! Especially since this is not the first time that the Moulin Rouge has lost its wings. He had already been left naked as a worm in 2003, when his arms were patched up. And the cabaret promises: “We are doing everything we can to ensure that our emblematic Moulin finds its wings as quickly as possible and that they continue to spin for many years to come! »