Born in Paris, raised in New York, made for New Orleans:

Baby Jane Dexter, a whisky-voiced, luminous star of Manhattan's lively cabaret scene and I were talking over a late supper about how to define cabaret in New Orleans, a town known more for jazz clubs. Baby smiled like she was ready to unchain an important secret, pulled out a well worn diary and turned to a page with a single phrase written upon it.

Cabaret is not a way of performing. It is a place.

Cabaret began in Paris in 1881 at just such a place. It was called Chat Noir, Black Cat. Reserved solely for artists, it was a trendy salon of sorts, a place where the creative minds of Paris would gather to critique the social issues of the day, while drinking away the night. In those days, Paris was considered the Mecca for the arts and cabarets quickly spread across Europe: Amsterdam in 1895, Barcelona in 1897, Moscow in 1907. Each with its own mystique, many were virtually a singing think tank, an incubator for important social and artistic movements. Others were simply about great entertainment. All were intimate in scale and artist friendly.

Cabaret is a special idea. Le Chat Noir wishes to be a special place for both performing artists and audiences alike, reprising the tradition of scale, entertainment and sense of place. I hope you will consider it your place. Here, you are always welcome.

Barbara Motley

Proprietor

For reservations call Su at 581-5812.