Louise: The Last Dance – theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall ★★★

Some historical figures are remembered only through other people’s art. Louise Weber, better known as La Goulue, remains instantly recognisable through Toulouse-Lautrec’s famous Moulin Rouge posters, yet the woman herself has largely disappeared from popular memory. Louise: The Last Dance sets out to correct that imbalance, reclaiming the story of the woman credited with popularising the cancan and helping build the legend of the Moulin Rouge before dying in relative obscurity. It is undoubtedly a life worth putting on stage. Created and performed by Stella Kulagowski under the banner of Saint Stella Productions, the show follows Louise’s extraordinary rise from working-class laundress to one of the most celebrated performers in France before tracing the long decline that followed. Along the way come artists, aristocrats, lovers, scandals and betrayals, all contributing to a life that often feels more dramatic than fiction. Kulagowski’s admiration for her subject is evident…