RENDEZ-VOUS Dance company comes to Yeovil’s Westlands centre on Tuesday 3rd February with The Monocle, a fast-paced, contemporary dance and music production dedicated to the legendary Parisian club, Le Monocle, one of the best kept secrets in the glamorous underworld of Paris in the 1930s.

Created by the UK-based, French choreographer Mathieu Geffré, the dance company’s founder and artistic director, the 2026 tour is a response to public demand after sellout tours in 2023 and 2024.

The Monocle celebrates the all-but forgotten history of the club where glamorous lesbians could dine, dance, sing and socialise without fear of persecution. Within its decadent but stylish walls, secrecy was paramount, affairs were commonplace, lifelong friendships were cemented, stories were told … and the band played on.

Although war was on the horizon, it was an era of glamour, jazz, dressing up, dressing down, secret passions, sex and cocktails.

Mathieu Geffré is delighted to bring this exciting production to Yeovil: “Westlands has a strong reputation for presenting dance and we can’t wait to play with the space and push the boundary between cabaret and contemporary dance. The show is a glamorous mix of great dancing, beautiful music, mischievous moments and an overall feeling of great joy!”

The seven performers tell stories of the Monocle’s community through a mix of sensual choreography, passionate drama and song with Imogen Banks, who will be singing classic songs made famous by Edith Piaf, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr, Nina Simone and more, including Love Me or Leave Me, I’ve Got You Under My Skin, Easy to Love, La Vie en Rose, You Go To My Head, The Very Thought of You, East of the Sun and West of the Moon.

Mathieu Geffré says: “The beauty of The Monocle is how effortlessly it has welcomed a broad and diverse audience. While the show offers a strong sense of entertainment, it also carries an educational and quietly political weight, particularly in drawing attention to the disappearance of safe spaces within our community.

“One of the most moving parts of the tour has been meeting members of the lesbian community who shared how deeply the work resonated with them.”