Morbid Anatomy Book Release: Cabarets of Death

Join Morbid Anatomy as they raise a glass to their beloved friend Mel Gordon (1947-2018) in celebration of his posthumous book Cabarets of Death: Dance and Dining in Early Twentieth-Century Paris.

For years, Mel Gordon—whom The New York Times dubbed “drama scholar of the fringe”—was a beloved member of the Morbid Anatomy community; he also served as a mentor to founder and creative director Joanna Ebenstein. When he died unexpectedly in 2018, the two were collaborating on a book about three infamous Parisian fin-de-siècle nightclubs called “The Cabarets of Death,” which were immersive, themed nightclubs inviting revelers to drink, dine, and debauch in immersive recreations of the afterworlds of Hell, Heaven, and Nothingness.

Editor Joanna Ebenstein will be on hand to share a few words about Mel and the book, director Ronni Thomas will screen a short film about Mel, copies of Cabarets of Death will be available for sale and signing, and The Morbid Anatomy Library will be open with a special mini-exhibit of Mel Gordon holdings.