DIVINA FOUGEZ

DIVINA FOUGEZ
with the ITALIAN OPERETTA COMPANY

The second appointment with operetta wants to pay homage to the divine Anna Fougez, a singer and actress born in Taranto on July 9, 1895, on the 130th anniversary of her birth.
She was the first true variety star to shine on Italian stages after the First World War. During the tabarin era, Fougez reached the peak of her success: her fee ranged from 500 lire to 2,000 lire per evening. It was the era of variety, which saw in her and her rivals true queens: Fougez was the most elegant of all with her dresses covered in ostrich feathers, precious jewels, majestic hairstyles, and beautiful bare legs. The divine Anna danced and sang after announcing herself with a march that became her signature. Fougez was more than just a successful singer: she was the expression of elegance, wealth, and luxury, the ultimate showgirl; her stage name was inspired by that of the famous international star of the Folies Bergère, Eugénie Fougère.
A talented artist, Fougez linked her name to the most beautiful tunes of the time: Vipera, Abat-jour, Addio mia bella signora, Chi siete, Passa la ronda, A tazza 'e cafè.
In 1930 she dedicated herself to writing her autobiography, called "The world talks and I pass by": a book of memories that traces her entire artistic career, with poems written by herself. In 1940, at the outbreak of the war, she retired from the stage and sequestered herself in a villa full of mementos in Santa Marinella in the province of Rome, where she continued to live as a great Diva, alongside her second husband, the dancer René Thano, and her friends. She passed away in 1966 at the age of 72.
Web: www.amicidellamusicataranto.it