CABARET GUIDE
HAVANA 1956
[REF:
Cabaret Quarterly, Special Resort Number, Volume Five,
poss 1956, p56]
CABARET GUIDE TO HAVANA
LOS MAGNIFICOS
TROPICANA, Truffin
and
Batista (B-4544). This is the largest and most
beautiful night
club in the world. Located on what was once a
36,000-square-meter
estate, Tropicana has ample room for two complete sets of
stages, table
areas and dance floors, in addition to well-tended grounds
extending
beyond the night club proper. Tall trees rising over
the tables
and through the roof in some spots lend the proper tropical
atmosphere
which blends well with the ultra-modern architecture of the
night
club. Shows include a chorus line of 50 and the
dancers often
perform on catwalks among the trees. Rhythms and
costumes are
colorfully native, with voodooism a frequent theme.
Top talent is
imported from abroad. Minimum at tables is $4.50 per
person, but
this can be avoided by sitting at central bar which has a
good view of
both stages.
CASINO PARISIEN
(Hotel
Nacional), 21st and O (U-8981). This is the newest of
Havana's
night clubs, having opened its doors in January of
1956. Located
in the city's largest hotel, the cabaret actually consists
of the
Casino Parisien, where there is dining, dancing and shows
(usually a
name singer or dance couple); the Casino International with
gambling
layout; and the Starlight Terrace, a bar connecting the
other two
sections. The casino is managed by Wilbur Clark, who
also runs
Las Vegas' Desert Inn. The minimum is $3.50 at the
tables.
SANS SOUCI, Arroyo
Arenas
Hwy. (BO-7979). Sans Souci is located in a
Spanish-style villa,
but this year has undergone a major program of renovation
and
expansion. Shows, like those of the other major clubs,
are
production numbers including name acts, usually
imported.
Good-looking U.S. showgirls are an added attraction.
There is the
same gambling layout as at the other big cabarets, including
roulette,
craps, chemin de fer, and slots. In addition, Sans
Souci recently
instituted an innovation at night clubs: bingo, with prizes
ranging up
to $1,500.
MONTMARTRE, 23rd and
P
(U-5207). Housed in a onetime indoor dog track,
Montmartre is
eminently successful in concealing its past beneath a lavish
overlay of
Gallic fittings and atmosphere. It is the only major
Havana club
which is entirely indoors, and is conveniently located in
Vedado, near
the center of the city. The entertainment lens toward
top
continental as well as American show names backed by lush
song and
dance production numbers masterminded by mercurial Joe
Carlyle.
Expensive, and favorite with native Cubans as well as
tourists.
The casino is open from 4 pm daily.
THE SPANISH AIR
TABERNA SAN ROMAN,
San
Pedro and Oficios (M-4460). Cured meats hang from the
ceiling,
bullfight posters decorate the walls and wine jugs sit on
long
shelves. A band provides dance music (Cuban and
Spanish), and on
Saturday nights the Spanish equivalent of a jam session gets
under way:
customers make impromptu music and someone plays a bagpipe
(Spanish,
not Scottish). Located on the water-front, the Taberna
is well
off the tourist track.
EL COLMAO, Aramburu
No. 366
(-9729). This place provides Spanish music, singing
and dancing
in its shows. Customers try to drink wine by pouring
it in a thin
stream from Andalusian jugs directly into their mouths (a
hazardous
endeavor). Enough wine, and soon the customers join in
the
informal shows.
TASCA ESPANOLA,
Carcel and
Prado (W-9452). The Tasca is decorated to resemble a
Spanish
bandit's cave. Guitarists, singers, pianists and
dancers do
double duty providing the show and also providing music for
dancing by
customers.
EL BUMP AND EL GRIND
SHANGHAI, Zanja No.
205
(W-9497). The girls in the line at the
long-established Shanghai
have never heard of a G-string and get along very nicely in
the buff,
thank you. Their uninhibited if somewhat in-expert
prancing is
only one part of a unique mixture that is burlesque, Havana
style. Blackout skits, unintelligible to the visitor
who doesn't
speak Spanish, are alternated with dance numbers by leading
performers,
and snappy movies, both of which are easily understood in
any
language. The theater, once a Chinese playhouse, is in
Chinatown
in Old Havana, near the main shopping district. It's
cramped and
stuffy, but at $1.25 you could hardly expect more.
SMALL AND CUBAN
BAMBU, Rancho
Boyeros Rd.
(I-5072). About 15 minutes from Havana, the Bambu is
located in
rustic surroundings. Shows consist of local talent.
PANCHIN, Fifth Ave.
and C
(B-7794). This is located in Havana's Coney Island
area.
Genuine native rhythms (rumba, mambo, cha cha cha) are
played by small
orchestras who know their stuff. Customers on the
dance floor
often provide the best show in the place when they really
let
themselves go.
PENNSYLVANIA, Fifth
Ave.
and C (B-7807). It is but a few steps from the Panchin
to the
Pennsylvania, and the "atmosphere" in both places is much
the
same. Teachers from U.S. dancing schools come to these
places to
get the real lowdown on Cuban dances.
SOUTHLAND CLUB, San
Rafael
and Prado (M-9296). A cozy place off tourist-traveled
Prado
Boulevard, with dance music and a show, consisting of the
usual singers
and mambo dancers.
SIERRA, Concha and
Cristina (X-2928). A small place providing good local
shows and music.
EL DORADO, Prado No.
521
(M-4888). This is an outdoor café a la Paris, with an
all-girl orchestra providing the music. Customers sip
their
drinks and watch the crowds go by.
DAIQUIRI DENS
FLORIDITA, Obispo
and
Monserrate (M-5031). The Floridita (formally known as
La Florida)
proudly calls itself "the cradle of the daiquiri" (named
after a Cuban
river). It has developed daiquiri-making into an art,
and
provides daiquiris with different flavors to suit the
customers'
tastes. The Floridita's best customer is also its most
famous:
Cuban resident Ernest Hemingway, who uses a special outsized
glass
named "the Papa." The place has fine food and good
music from
singers and small musical groups.
MONSEIGNEUR, 21st
and O
(f-7684). Primarily a restaurant (a la Monseigneur of
Paris),
this place has one of the best bars in town. Pleasant
music is
provided by a string ensemble, with the musicians separating
and going
to the different tables to play.
MES AMIS, Seventh
Ave and
La Copa. This is a haunt for local Americans.
Singers and
pianists provide listening music, but some people like to
dance too.
SLOPPY JOE'S,
Agramonte No.
252 (M-4178). This is an old-time mecca for tourists,
but few
locals (Cubans or Americans)go here. Sandwiches are
excellent,
and a "conjunto" (small musical group) provides music.
OFFBEAT
These two may be closed or open, according to the whims of
the law.
COLONIAL, Oficios
#164
(A-7324). The Colonial uses local talent, frequently
risque, to
please the tourist trade upon which this place lives.
Prices are
tourist-aimed, with a minimum of $1.50 person at the tables.
PALETTE CLUB,
Central
Highway (X-3019). Risque shows and private rooms where
pornographic films are shown for a price keep this place
closed
whenever the authorities decide to crack down.
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