The Monocle is set to bring queer Paris to Wilton's Music Hall

Rendez-Vous Dance’s show is an homage to a sanctuary for the lesbian community that existed in the French capital open between the wars

The Monocle is set for three performances at Wilton's Music Hall - image by Cave And Sky — The Monocle is set for three performances at Wilton’s Music Hall – image by Cave And Sky

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The glorious, crumbling walls of Wilton’s Music Hall are set to reverberate with the buzz and verve of Rendez-Vous Dance’s latest show.

The Monocle is a cabaret, dance homage to nightclub Le Monocle, a sanctuary for the lesbian community in Paris opened in the 1920s by Lulu De Montparnasse on the Boulevard Edgar-Quinet.

It’s set for three performances at the east London venue in May, 2026.

Billed as a “sizzling dance and music production”, the show has been created by the Rendez-Vous founder and artistic director, choreographer Mathieu Geffré.

Celebrating the history of the club – named for the optical affectations some lesbians used as a symbol of recognition in their community – The Monocle aims to transport audiences to an era of glamour, jazz, dressing up, dressing down, secret passions, sex and cocktails.

The company’s seven-strong cast tell stories of the venue’s clientele and their time spent in a place where they could dine, dance, sing and socialise without fear of persecution.

Rendez-Vous Dance founder and artistic director, Mathieu Geffré - image supplied by Rendez-Vous Dance — Rendez-Vous Dance founder and artistic director, Mathieu Geffré – image supplied by Rendez-Vous Dance

relevant and meaningful

“Over the years, Wilton’s Music Hall has built a reputation for celebrating diverse, boundary-pushing, excellent art,” said Mathieu.

“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.”

Lasting 90 minutes, including an interval, the show features a mix of sensual choreography, passionate drama and live song from early-jazz performer, Imogen Banks.

“The beauty of The Monocle is how effortlessly it has welcomed a broad and diverse audience,” said Mathieu, who graduated from the Paris Conservatoire in 2006 before embarking on a career as a dancer across Europe.

He founded Rendez-Vous in 2021 with the aim of engaging with LGBTQIA+ themes.

He said: “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.”

For Mathieu, it’s also a work that resonates with his interest in LGBTQIA+ history, especially in France.

The show is an homage to lesbian nightclub Le Monocle in Paris - image by Cave And Sky — The show is an homage to lesbian nightclub Le Monocle in Paris – image by Cave And Sky

the roots of The Monocle

“One of my ongoing curiosities in life is understanding my roots as a member of the queer community,” he said.

“In 2021, while reading A History of Homosexuality by Florence Tamagne, I first discovered Le Monocle.

“I wanted to challenge the conventional perceptions of contemporary dance and explore the intersection of cabaret and movement as a way to reach new audiences.

“The Brassaï photographs of Le Monocle became a way in for me, showing that a man could indeed capture the essence of this extraordinary space for the lesbian community in Paris.

“When developing a work, I also consider its universal and contemporary resonance and, in this case, it felt essential to acknowledge the disappearance of lesbian safe spaces in public life.

“As a gay boy growing up in the French countryside, coming of age was a vulnerable path.

“But that began to shift when I started my dance studies at the Conservatoire National Supérieur De Musique Et De Danse De Paris in 2001.

“The capital was a territory of fear, extravagance, and adventures.

“I emancipated myself in Le Marais, where I witnessed love lived unapologetically, drag artists fabulously striding through the streets and communities welcoming me into a freedom I hadn’t thought possible.

“I’m passionate about LGBTQIA+ history and my French heritage.

“When I learned about Le Monocle, a lesbian bar that mysteriously closed in June 1941 during the Nazi occupation, I couldn’t separate it from more recent tragedies.

“The story felt urgent, a necessary testimony about safe spaces and the risks we still face.

“I’ve never cared so deeply about getting something right. The Monocle was a unique opportunity to foster an environment where love transcends differences, creating a space where everyone feels seen, valued and embraced.

“When it was open, Le Monocle celebrated refinement, taste, and understated glamour.

“The costumes and set together capture that spirit, while subtle, playful details, like the iconic monocle itself, anchor the work in its historical and cultural context.

“The overall effect is immersive – audiences step into a space where elegance, celebration and queer history coexist, fully alive for the contemporary moment.”