Madame Arthur cabaret in Nice delayed to late 2027

The reconstruction of the former Bodeguita del Havana building on rue Chauvain in Nice, where the Paris cabaret Madame Arthur is preparing its first venue outside the capital, has been delayed: the opening has been pushed from early 2026 to a period between late 2027 and the first quarter of 2028. The main reason is soundproofing, which had to be brought to a “box-in-box” scheme.

What is happening on rue Chauvain

The house at 14, rue Chauvain, where the Latin American Bodeguita del Havana once operated, has been empty for a decade and a half — the venue disappeared from Nice’s night map after a long bankruptcy procedure. The building was bought by Fabrice Laffon, director of the Paris cabaret Madame Arthur at Place Pigalle. His plan is to open in Nice a “singing cabaret with a show and a nightclub”: a hall for 200 spectators during performances and up to 400 people in a club format, a programme ranging from Édith Piaf to Aya Nakamura, reported Nice Presse.

When the project was presented in March 2024, Fabrice Laffon and architect Jean-Paul Gomis expected to open in early 2026. In August 2025 construction came to a halt: during dismantling a part of the 1960s extension collapsed, and additional inspections were required. Work resumed, but the timetable had to be rebuilt.

The main reason for the delay — acoustics

The primary task of the project became maximum soundproofing: neither neighbours nor the street must be disturbed by noise. The architect explains that this required building a “box-in-box” structure, completely separating the building’s structure from the adjoining walls.

“To guarantee the absence of noise nuisance for residents and in public areas, you must separate the load-bearing structure, fixed to the walls, from the neighbouring walls. This makes it completely autonomous. We expected so-called structural noises transmitted through walls,” notes Jean-Paul Gomis.

Another surprise proved to be groundwater: sound also travels through it. Because of this the basement slab had to be insulated from the aquifer — water transmits vibrations no less effectively than stone.

Double raft foundation and negotiations with the bank

To solve the problem, a double raft foundation is being constructed under the building — thick reinforced-concrete slabs wrapped in soundproofing material. According to the architect, such a structure guarantees that sound will not travel through groundwater to the neighbours.

The additional work has affected both the budget and the approvals. “The owner had to increase the project’s financing, which requires time to obtain a loan, as well as technical works. Additional works, additional costs, additional negotiations — all of this delayed construction, which was already complicated due to the small size of the plot. The smaller the site, the harder it is to work on, because there is no space for machinery, everything has to be done by hand,” says Jean-Paul Gomis.

The historic façade is to be preserved, reinforced with a separate soundproofing belt.

New opening schedule

Builders have already completed the first raft; the second lies ahead. Structural work is expected to be completed by the end of November 2026, and the opening of Madame Arthur cabaret in Nice is expected between late 2027 and the first quarter of 2028. For now, Nice’s nightlife and cultural scene is occupied with other stories — from a concert to save a 19th-century organ to the filming of a prequel to “Ocean’s Friends” in the city centre.

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Photo: Budget Bizar / Pexels