We bid adieu to the Crepe de Paris cabaret

I was new in town when I first roamed around Rainier Square looking for the Crepe de Paris, back in 1991. When I found it, a gracious Frenchwoman warmly greeted and seated me, and took my drink order. Then the fun began.

A crew of expert zanies, cut-ups who could also sing like a dream on the bistro's ministage, gave me a quick lesson in Pacific Northwest humor: droll, dry, impish and mercilessly mocking of local fads and foibles.

I think the first cabaret revue I saw there was "Waiter, There's a Slug in My Latte." Or maybe it was "Seattle World's Fair Cruise"?

No matter. Whatever it was, I was delighted to find such smart, funny, tunesome local satire in town. While my former home city, San Francisco, had a hearty cabaret scene, too, it was longer on camp and nostalgia than lampoonery.

But the Crepe de Paris, particularly during the 1990s, when its weekend Cabaret de Paris dinner-revues joyfully skewered all things Seattle — from "the monorail to nowhere," to the sagging Seattle Mariners (a bit of déjà vu, now), to regional personality traits ("Nice and Blonde and Bland") to acute espresso addiction.

Many memorable shows were concocted by such performers, writers and composers as brother-sister team David and Lisa Koch, Rich Gray, Scott Warrender, Peggy Platt, John Engerman, David Scully, Loren Marshall and the late Todd Moeller — among others.

And along with those revues that affectionately sent up the local scene ("Forbidden Xmas," "Waiter, There's a Slug," etc.), others playfully parodied showbiz excess ("The Carpeters," "The Spudds," "Chainsaw Manicurist") or simply and splendidly paid homage to the songbooks of Duke Ellington, George Gershwin and Stephen Sondheim.

Some years ago, the Kochs and company moved on. And while the cabaret acts kept coming, it just wasn't the same. It seemed only a matter of time before the creperie's gracious owner, Annie Agostini, would close shop. She's sold the Crepe de Paris, with her last day of business set for July 31.

We still have the Rebar, but there should be room on the Seattle scene for new cabaret spots, too. Heaven knows we've got the singing and comedic talent to stock 'em. Yes, that's a dicey order in today's financial and real-estate climate. And in our new downtown foodie palaces, the main entertainment is beautiful-people-watching.

But hey. We can dream, can't we? Life, after all, is a cabaret.

Misha Berson: mberson@seattletimes.com