Episode Summary: My Victorian Nightmare - Ep. 30: "Welcome to the Cabaret of Death"

Introduction

In Episode 30 of My Victorian Nightmare, host Genevieve Mannion delves into the macabre and fascinating world of French Victorian entertainment. Titled "Welcome to the Cabaret of Death," this episode explores the eerie allure the Victorian era held for death-themed amusements, including public morgues, the infamous Grand Guignol theater, and death-centric cabarets. Mannion intertwines historical insights with personal reflections, creating an engaging narrative that captivates both history enthusiasts and fans of the macabre.

Listener Connection and Personal Reflections

Before diving into the main content, Genevieve shares a heartfelt email from a listener named Barbara. Barbara, identifying as a "Spooky Boomer," reminisces about Victorian customs that resonate with her family's history, such as "coffins in the parlor" and "beautiful photographs of dead people." She expresses how the podcast provides her with comfort as she approaches her own mortality:

"Your recounting these customs and way of thinking makes me smile sometimes laugh sometimes fill me with useless longing... Your podcast brings me comfort in that way too." [02:10]

Genevieve expresses deep gratitude for her listeners' diverse backgrounds and the strong community they've built, highlighting the personal connections forged through shared interests in the Victorian macabre.

The Morgue as Public Entertainment

Mannion begins by uncovering a lesser-known aspect of Victorian French entertainment: the public morgues. Contrary to modern sensibilities, morgues in 19th-century Paris were designed as public exhibitions where citizens could view corpses much like exhibits in a natural history museum. Genevieve explains:

"Bodies were laid out on slabs behind glass in two rows... Their clothes were hung on hooks above them. They lay naked side by side." [05:15]

The Paris morgue, rebuilt in 1864, became a central attraction behind Notre Dame Cathedral, accommodating up to 50 visitors at a time. It wasn't merely a place for identification; it was a spectacle. Mannion highlights how morgues served multiple purposes:

1. Identification and Mourning: While the primary purpose was to allow friends and family to identify the deceased, the public's fascination extended beyond mere mourning.
2. Police Tactics: Police often used morgues as venues to confront suspected killers, using the bright lighting and proximity to victims in hopes of eliciting confessions:

"Police would often drag suspected killers by the scruff of their necks down to view their victims in hopes of shocking them into giving confessions." [09:45]

3. Sensationalism and Yellow Journalism: Newspapers capitalized on gruesome stories to attract crowds, leading to mass gatherings that sometimes resulted in chaos:

"After a few days, though, she began to decompose visibly, so an autopsy was finally done. Crowds that had gathered online that day were furious when she was removed from her display for the autopsy before they could get a glimpse." [19:30]

Grand Guignol Theater: The Pinnacle of Victorian Horror

Transitioning from morgues, Genevieve explores the Grand Guignol theater, a cornerstone of Parisian horror entertainment. Established in 1897, Grand Guignol specialized in horror shows with graphic special effects and unsettling narratives. Mannion describes the theater's ambiance and programming:

"The gothic structures of the theater design exuded an eeriness and inspired themes of blackness and death." [14:20]

Key points about Grand Guignol include:

• Playwrights and Content: Under director Max Mori and playwright Andre Delorde, over 100 horror plays were produced, often collaborating with experimental psychologists like Alfred Binet to craft tales of madness and self-destruction.

  Examples include:

  • Les Laboratoire de Hallucia: A gruesome story of brain surgery leading to insanity.
  • Plays depicting violence within insane asylums and revenge-fueled madness.

• Audience Reactions: Success was measured by the distress elicited from the audience, with an average of two faintings per evening being a typical metric:

  "Max Mori... judged the show's success by the level of distress the horror shows caused." [16:50]

• Decline Post-War: The theater's popularity waned after World Wars I and II, as real-world horrors overshadowed the theatrical portrayals:

  "Audiences began to diminish. The management attributed this decline to the horrors of the real world, like the revelation of The Holocaust." [19:00]

Genevieve muses on why the fetishization of death declined post-World War II, suggesting a societal shift toward preserving the dignity of the dead and a collective trauma that made embracing death uncomfortable.

Death-Centric Cabarets: The Cabaret of Death

The episode's highlight is the exploration of Victorian Parisian cabarets dedicated to death-themed entertainment. Genevieve vividly describes three prominent establishments:

1. Cabaret du Neant (Cabaret of Nothingness):

   • Origins and Aesthetic: Originally opened in Brussels in 1892 as Cabaret du Morte, it moved to Montmartre and was renamed. The exterior featured black and white trim with iron torch-like lamps emitting a yellow-green glow, enhancing the corpse-like appearance of passersby.
   • Interior Experience: Guests were led through dark corridors and black velvet curtains into main rooms adorned with real human bone chandeliers and skull-lit lamps. Coffin-shaped seats and macabre posters set the tone.
   • Interactive Effects: Paintings utilized layered glass and lighting to create illusions of living figures transforming into skeletons.

2. Cabaret du Ciel (Cabaret of Heaven):

   • Theme: While still death-centered, it presented an ethereal, paradisiacal atmosphere with white and blue decor, angel sculptures, and harp music.

   • Performances: Offered plays about the joys of the afterlife, featuring nearly naked angels and nymphs, blending sensuality with the supernatural.

   • Ambiance: Despite its heavenly theme, observations from visitors noted an underlying sinister vibe:

     "The whole place reeked of something sinister and the general effect was the very essence of tawdri ness." [21:10]

3. Cabaret du Ciel (Cabaret of Hell):

   • Contrast with Cabaret du Ciel: Featured devil-themed entrances with satanic facial sculptures and demon-tortured sculptures.
   • Entertainment: Included illusionist tricks and hell-themed performances, maintaining a more jovial yet sinister atmosphere compared to the somber Cabaret du Neant.

Genevieve draws parallels between these historical establishments and modern pop culture, referencing the film Interview with a Vampire and comparing the immersive experiences to contemporary immersive theater like Sleep No More.

Shift in Societal Perception of Death

Genevieve ponders the societal transition from embracing death as a form of entertainment to a more reserved and dignified approach post-World War II. She speculates that:

• Dignity of the Dead: There was a cultural shift toward respecting the deceased, moving away from public displays.
• Collective Trauma: The atrocities witnessed during the wars may have made society less inclined to normalize death-themed entertainment.

She invites listeners to share their thoughts on this shift, fostering engagement and reflection on how cultural perceptions evolve.

Conclusion

In this richly detailed episode, Genevieve Mannion masterfully unpacks the darkly intriguing facets of Victorian French entertainment. From the public fascination with morgues to the theatrical horrors of Grand Guignol and the immersive experiences of death-centric cabarets, the episode paints a comprehensive picture of an era deeply entwined with death and the macabre. Through historical anecdotes, personal reflections, and engaging storytelling, Genevieve offers listeners a profound understanding of why the Victorian era continues to fascinate those who find comfort in its heebie-jeebies.

Notable Quotes

• “I have honestly been avoiding doing a Jack the Ripper episode because frankly, I hate cold cases. I hate hearing about them. Few things make me more sad.” [00:56]
• “Bodies were laid out on slabs behind glass in two rows... They lay naked side by side.” [05:15]
• “Max Mori... judged the show's success by the level of distress the horror shows caused.” [16:50]
• “The whole place reeked of something sinister and the general effect was the very essence of tawdri ness.” [21:10]

Further Engagement

Genevieve encourages listeners to share their thoughts and engage through various platforms:

• Email: genevieve@myvictoriannightmare.com
• Instagram: @myvictoriannightmare
• Blue Sky: @myvictoriannightmare
• Website: myvictoriannightmare.com (for show notes and Patreon)

Listeners are also invited to rate, review, and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify to support the podcast's growth.

Upcoming Content

Due to recent developments in the Jack the Ripper case, Genevieve announces an upcoming detailed episode on Aaron Kosminski, whom some believe to be the elusive Ripper. She expresses her emotional connection to the case and previews the depth of research that will be featured in the next episode.

Stay tuned for more unsettling and captivating tales from the Victorian era in upcoming episodes of My Victorian Nightmare.