Red neon sign at dusk outside The Windmill, world famous night club, 17-19 Great Windmill St, London, England, UK, W1D 7JZ
The Windmill Theatre in Great Windmill Street, London, was a variety and revue theatre best known for its nude tableaux vivants, which began in 1932 and lasted until its reversion to a cinema in 1964. Many prominent British comedians of the post-war years started their careers at the theatre. Amrit Walia, the co-founder, said: “In the 1930’s Laura Henderson famously broke conventions and challenged norms to create the famous institution known as the Windmill Theatre“ A breakthrough came when Van Damm began to incorporate glamorous nude females on stage, inspired by the Folies Bergère and Moulin Rouge in Paris. This coup was made possible by convincing Lord Cromer, then Lord Chamberlain, in his position as the censor for all theatrical performances in London, that the display of nudity in theatres was not obscene: since the authorities could not credibly hold nude statues to be morally objectionable, the theatre presented its nudes — the legendary "Windmill Girls" — in motionless poses as living statues or tableaux vivants. The ruling: 'If you move, it's rude.' The cinema's lease was bought in February 1974 by nightclub and erotica entrepreneur Paul Raymond. Raymond returned it to a venue for nude shows "à la Revuedeville but without the comic element". The first production at the now renamed Windmill Theatre was a play called Let's Get Laid, which opened on 2 September 1974. and starred Fiona Richmond and John Inman. A nude dance show called Rip-Off was the next production at the theatre; this show commenced on 10 May 1976. Paul Raymond re-introduced burlesque when he renamed the Windmill La Vie en Rose Show Bar and opened the venue as a supper club with a laser disco on 16 November 1982. In May 2021, it was announced that the Windmill would reopen as a 350-seat restaurant and bar, with a cabaret
Size: 3648px × 5040px
Location: 17-19 Great Windmill St, London, England, UK, W1D 7JZ
Photo credit: © Tony Smith / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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