Mata Hari: Exotic Dancer, Courtesan, Spy
A scintillating collaboration between Seattle mainstay Can Can Cabaret and prominent local musician Prom Queen, Femme Fatale celebrates the glamour, seduction and moral turpitude/empowerment of Margaretha Geertruida Zella, better known by her stage name Mata Hari. Live music, sensuous original choreography, aromatic, handcrafted cocktails and a Pike Market Place-centric menu punctuate the fascinating life story of the Dutch exotic dancer and sex symbol, from her humble beginnings as a kindergarten teacher to her thrilling yet ultimately fatal adventures as a double agent in WWII.
Zella's first studied the art of seduction in Java, where a failed marriage then propelled her to Bohemian Paris in the early 1900s. Her act as a Javanese high priestess and carefree, provocative style garnered much attention and acclaim, elevating exotic dance to a more respected status in society as well as breaking ground for an art form that would later become synonymous with world famous Parisienne entertainment. With renown came relationships and trysts with powerful men, and the courtesan later relied on her wits, wiles and beauty when thrust into a world of coded messages, secret rendezvous and glamorous espionage.