Saint Stella (Stella Kulagowski) performing Louise: The Last Dance | Photo by Christelle Thibault
Do you know who Louise Weber was? You’ve likely seen her illustrated likeness in restaurants, cafés and gift shops—in those ubiquitous, mass produced copies of Toulouse-Lautrec’s famous poster for the Moulin Rouge featuring “La Goulue,” a can-can dancer with her leg kicked up provocatively, enticing a roomful of silhouetted revellers, champagne flowing amongst them. “The Glutton” seems such a rude designation, but it was coined affectionately, in response to her habit of guzzling patrons’ drinks as she performed.
She was, as they say, all the rage at one time—the star attraction of the Moulin Rouge—though she would die alone, penniless and largely forgotten. In her prime, she was associated with a slew of important figures of artistic and elite society—from artists Toulouse-Lautrec and Renoir to Russian Grand Duke Alexei Alexandrovich. And now she’s been afforded a lovely tribute in Louise: The Last Dance, a biographical solo show created and performed by Saint Stella (Stella Kulagowski), a multi-faceted performer specializing in burlesque. I caught the first of two preview performances in Toronto before she takes it to the Edinburgh Fringe (August 7–29). Continue Reading