Café de Paris is a London nightclub, located in the West End, beside Leicester Square on Coventry Street, Piccadilly.
It opened in 1924 and subsequently featured such performers as Dorothy Dandridge, Marlene Dietrich, Harry Gold, Harry Roy, Ken Snakehips Johnson and Maxine Cooper Gomberg.[1] Louise Brooks made history when she worked there in December 1924, introducing the Charleston (dance) to London.
Much of the early success of the Cafe de Paris was due to the visit of the then Prince of Wales who became a regular guest, often dining with notables from high society across Europe.[2] Cole Porter was a regular, as was the Aga Khan.[3]
During the Second World War, on March 8, 1941, the cafe was bombed and eighty people were killed. The venue did not reopen until 1948 [2] but re-established itself as one of the leading theatre clubs in London, playing host to Frank Sinatra, Tony Hancock and Grace Kelly. In the 1950s Sir Noel Coward often performed cabaret seasons at the Cafe de Paris [2] as did Marlene Dietrich. It was also used in the 2006 music video for I Think We're Alone Now by Girls Aloud.
In the 1980s the venue experienced a revived popularity, hosting scene locations for films including Absolute Beginners and The Krays.[3] Today the venue is used regularly for film location, and has been used for scenes in The Queen's Sister (based on the life of Princess Margaret) and in The Edge of Love (based on the life of Dylan Thomas).[3]
The Cafe de Paris plays host each week to The Wam Bam Club, a cabaret which has provided a London springboard for the renaissance of burlesque. As well as host Lady Alex and resident acts Cabaret Rouge and Bunny Galore, contemporary cabaret performers who have appeared there have included Abandoman, Sarah Louise Young, Pippa Evans, Wilfredo, and Josh Howie.
The 1941 bombing of the Café de Paris is described in a chapter of "The Attenbury Emeralds" by Jill Paton Walsh. The bombing and its aftermath have a considerable bearing on the investigation carried out by Lord Peter Wimsey in that book.
The Cafe, and the 1941 bombing, are major plot devices in the 2011 novel "Moon Over Soho" by Ben Aaronovitch.