ARTICLE: RENDEZ-VOUS DANCE RETURNS TO LONDON
- Neill Kovacic-Clarke
- 8 hours ago
- 3 min read
RENDEZ-VOUS DANCE
RETURNS TO LONDON
WITH CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED
THE MONOCLE
RENDEZ-VOUS DANCE return to London to perform their acclaimed cabaret/dance homage to the legendary Paris nightclub: THE MONOCLE at Wilton’s Music Hall.
THE MONOCLE – named in honour of Le Monocle, one of the best kept secrets in the glamorous underworld of Paris in the 1930s – is a sizzling contemporary dance and music production created by award-winning choreographer Mathieu Geffré, founder and Artistic Director of Rendez- Vous Dance.
Following a hugely popular UK tour at the beginning of the year, THE MONOCLE brings its dramatic cabaret heart to the perfect venue in London on 15th and 16th May 2026: the glorious Wilton’s Music Hall, whose history dates back over 350 years; once a rickety row of shops and pubs, the Music Hall was created and opened by John Wilton in 1859.
Says Mathieu Geffré:
“Over the years, Wilton’s Music Hall has built a reputation for celebrating diverse boundary-pushing excellent art. Bringing the final performances of The Monocle to Wilton’s Music Hall after a successful night at the same venue in 2024 feels deeply relevant and meaningful. There’s something about the venue’s layered, rich and slightly subversive history that resonates with the queerness of our production. After three tours and such a generous response from audiences across the country, it feels like the right place to bring this journey to a close: intimate, relevant, charged, and full of memory.”
THE MONOCLE celebrates the all-but forgotten history of the notorious club where glamorous lesbians could dine, dance, sing and socialise without fear of persecution. Within its decadent but stylish walls, secrecy was paramount, affairs were commonplace, lifelong friendships were cemented, stories were told…and the band played on. Although war was on the horizon, it was an era of glamour, jazz, dressing up, dressing down, secret passions, sex and cocktails. Rendez-Vous’s seven-strong cast tell stories of the Monocle’s community through a mix of sensual choreography, passionate drama and the live singing of the early-jazz singer, Imogen Banks.
Continues Mathieu Geffré:
“The beauty of The Monocle is how effortlessly it has welcomed a broad and diverse audience. While the show offers a strong sense of entertainment, it also carries an educational and quietly political weight, particularly in drawing attention to the disappearance of safe spaces within our community. One of the most moving parts of the tour has been meeting members of the lesbian community who shared how deeply the work resonated with them. Ultimately, this is a show for everyone. It’s entertaining, informative, political…and a joyful celebration of identity.”
In Pink Prince Theatre's Review of the Year 2024, THE MONOCLE won Dance Show of the Year, with the cast collectively winning Dance Performer of the Year, and Mathieu Geffré winning Choreographer of the Year.
In 2024, this production received two 5 star reviews from Pink Prince Theatre. You can read my review of THE MONOCLE HERE, and Rosie's review HERE.
THE MONOCLE
Wilton's Music Hall
Friday 15th - Saturday 16th May 2026
All details in this article are correct at time of publishing and are subject to change.
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