Robert Juliat New Morgane Followspots Celebrate Christian Brean's Lighting at the Moulin Rouge

	One of the Robert Juliat Morgane followspots at the Moulin Rouge. Photo: Philippe Wojazer

Following in the footsteps of its older Robert Juliat sisters, Lucy and Alice, it is now Morgane's turn to continue the legacy of followspot lighting at the Moulin Rouge, the iconic Parisian cabaret that has enchanted the city's nightlife since 1889.

Robert Juliat has recently completed the installation of three of its new Morgane LED followspots at the Moulin Rouge. This upgrade is a new step in the collaboration between the French manufacturer and the cabaret. More compact, more comfortable for operators, and more powerful, these new 825W LED Morgane followspots are said to meet the technical and artistic demands of a venue where precision, consistency, and lighting quality are essential to every performance.

Playing continuously at the Moulin Rouge for two decades, the revue Feerie takes audiences through the history of the house via a grand spectacle which features nearly sixty performers, a thousand costumes, sumptuous sets, and the legendary French Cancan.

With two performances every evening, 365 days a year, Feerie demands absolute uniformity and technical reliability from its followspots, with consistency and flawless rendering of the light required to light all the principal roles from beginning to end.

The original lighting design for the show was created by Christian Brean, whose aesthetic sense and precision shaped the visual identity of Feerie. Jean-Jacques Clerico, president of the cabaret which has been owned by his family for three generations, is diligent in preserving the soul of the revue, carefully balancing authenticity and modernity. He pays close attention to every detail to provide the most beautiful setting and the finest show every night, meeting the expectations of the audience.

Eric Legrand, head of the lighting department and technical director of the venue, and Philippe Guitton, associate lighting designer, ensure the continuity of this legacy. As guardians of this signature style, they work to enhance the performers while respecting the work originally initiated by Christian Brean.

The new Morgane followspots are installed on the technical bridge, suspended like their predecessors from overhead truss positions from where they cover distances ranging from 15m to 30m from the performers. The uniformity between the three followspots is perfect -- a crucial element in preserving the visual coherence of the show -- and something which can be guaranteed by the precision engineering of Robert Juliat products.

"The CRI and spectrum of the new followspots meet our expectations well," comments Guitton. "The motorized iris on the new Morgane allows operators to follow stage movements smoothly and with great precision. However, we do not use the remote control of this function because we strongly believe in preserving the autonomy of the followspot operators and respecting their personal touch. We create live performances on stage and want to maintain this principle with our technicians: we do not want to remove the intention behind each operator's actions. On the contrary, we want to involve them fully in their work to ensure a consistent show quality from one night to the next," he explains.

Through this project, Robert Juliat reaffirms its commitment to its major tenets alongside a major Parisian stage, in continuing to develop lighting solutions that meet today's expectations while supporting the human and artistic dimension that lies at the heart of live performance.