The Théâtre des Variétés is a theatre and "salle de spectacles" at 7–8,

boulevard Montmartre Boulevard Montmartre is one of the four grands boulevards of Paris. It was constructed in 1763. Contrary to what its name may suggest, the road is not situated on the hills of Montmartre. It is the easternmost of the grand boulevards. History I ...

, 2nd arrondissement, in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. It was declared a

monument historique ''Monument historique'' () is a designation given to some national heritage sites in France. It may also refer to the state procedure in France by which National Heritage protection is extended to a building, a specific part of a building, a coll ...

in 1974.

History

It owes its creation to the theatre director Mademoiselle Montansier (Marguerite Brunet). Imprisoned for debt in 1803 and frowned upon by the government, a decree of 1806 ordered her company to leave the

Théâtre du Palais-Royal The Théâtre du Palais-Royal () is a 750-seat Parisian theatre at 38 rue de Montpensier, located at the northwest corner of the Palais-Royal in the Galerie de Montpensier at its intersection with the Galerie de Beaujolais. Brief history ...

which then bore the name of "Variétés". The decree's aim was to move out Montansier's troupe to make room for the company from the neighbouring Théâtre-Français, which had stayed empty even as the Variétés-Montansier had enjoyed immense public favour. Strongly unhappy about having to leave the theatre by 1 January 1807, the 77-year-old Montansier gained an audience with

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

himself and received his help and protection. She thus reunited the "Société des Cinq", which directed her troupe, in order to found a new theatre, the one which stands at the side of the

passage des Panoramas The Passage des Panoramas is the oldest of the covered passages of Paris, France located in the 2nd arrondissement between the Montmartre boulevard to the North and Saint-Marc street to the south. It is one of the earliest venues of the Parisian ...

. It was inaugurated on 24 June 1807. The theatre plays a prominent role in Émile Zola's 1880 novel, ''

Nana Nana, Nanna, Na Na or NANA may refer to: People and fictional characters * Nana (given name), including a list of people and characters with the given name * Nana (surname), including a list of people and characters with the surname * Nana ( ...

'', as it is the theatre in which the title character achieves celebrity in the opening chapters.

Other activities

In 2012 the theatre began to host technical conferences such as dotJS or dotScale.

Premieres at the theatre

* 1833: ''La Modiste et le Lord'', 2-act opera by

Auguste Pilati Auguste Pilati (actual name "Auguste Pilate") (29 September 1810 – 1 August 1877) was a prolific French composer, opera conductor and occasional singer. He employed several pseudonyms including "Auguste Pilati Juliano", "A. P. Juliano", "Ate. P. ...

* 1856: ''L'Amour et Psyché'', 1 act opera by Auguste Pilati * 1864: ''

La belle Hélène ''La belle Hélène'' (, ''The Beautiful Helen'') is an opéra bouffe in three acts, with music by Jacques Offenbach and words by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy. The piece parodies the story of Helen of Troy, Helen's elopement with Paris (myt ...

'',

opéra bouffe Opéra bouffe (, plural: ''opéras bouffes'') is a genre of late 19th-century French operetta, closely associated with Jacques Offenbach, who produced many of them at the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens, inspiring the genre's name. Opéras bouff ...

Jacques Offenbach Jacques Offenbach (, also , , ; 20 June 18195 October 1880) was a German-born French composer, cellist and impresario of the Romantic period. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s to the 1870s, and his uncompleted opera ' ...

, libretto by Meilhac and Halévy * 1867: ''

La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein ''La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein'' (''The Grand Duchess of Gerolstein'') is an opéra bouffe (a form of operetta), in three acts and four tableaux by Jacques Offenbach to an original French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy. The s ...

'', opéra bouffe by

, libretto by Meilhac and Halévy * 1868: ''

La Périchole ''La Périchole'' () is an opéra bouffe in three acts by Jacques Offenbach. Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy wrote the French libretto based on the 1829 one act play '' Le carrosse du Saint-Sacrement'' by Prosper Mérimée, which was revived o ...

'', opéra bouffe by

, libretto by Meilhac and Halévy * 1869: ''

Les brigands ''Les brigands'' (''The Bandits'') is an opéra bouffe, or operetta, by Jacques Offenbach to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy. Meilhac and Halévy's libretto lampoons both serious drama (Schiller's play ''The Robbers'') ...

'', opéra bouffe by

, libretto by Meilhac and Halévy * 1883: ''

Mam'zelle Nitouche ''Mam'zelle Nitouche'' is a Opérette vaudeville, vaudeville-opérette in three acts by Hervé (composer), Hervé. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Albert Millaud. This story of a respectable musician, transforming himself into a songwriter at ...

'', vaudeville-operette by

Hervé Hervé is a French language, French masculine given name of Breton language, Breton origin, from the name of the 6th-century Breton Saint Hervé. The common latinization of the name is Herveus (also ''Haerveus''), an early (8th-century) latinizati ...

* 1907: '' L'Enfant prodigue'', the first feature-length European film, directed by Michel Carré, fils * 1923: ''

Ciboulette ''Ciboulette'' is a French opérette in three acts, music by Reynaldo Hahn, libretto by Robert de Flers and Francis de Croisset, first performed at the Théâtre des Variétés, in Paris, on 7 April 1923. One of the most elegant and refined compo ...

'', operetta by

Reynaldo Hahn Reynaldo Hahn (; 9 August 1874 – 28 January 1947) was a Venezuelan-born French composer, conductor, music critic, and singer. He is best known for his songs – ''mélodies'' – of which he wrote more than 100. Hahn was born in Caracas b ...

, libretto by Robert de Flers and

Francis de Croisset Francis de Croisset (; born Franz Wiener, 28 January 1877 – 8 November 1937) was a Belgian-born French playwright and opera librettist. Early life Born as Franz Wiener, he was educated in Brussels on 28 January 1877 into a prominent Jewish-Bel ...

* 1946: '' César'' by

Marcel Pagnol Marcel Paul Pagnol (; 28 February 1895 – 18 April 1974) was a French novelist, playwright, and filmmaker. Regarded as an auteur, in 1946, he became the first filmmaker elected to the Académie française. Although his work is less fashionabl ...

, after his film of the same name

Directors

*1807–19 : Mlle Montansier *1820–30 : Mira Brunet *1930–36 : Armand Dartois *1836 :

Jean-François Bayard Jean-François Alfred Bayard (17 March 1796, Charolles, Saône-et-Loire – 20 February 1853, Paris) was a French playwright. He was the nephew of fellow playwright Eugène Scribe. Life As a law student and a lawyer's clerk, Bayard wrote with p ...

*1837–39 : Philippe Pinel-Dumanoir *1839 : Jouslin de la Salle *1840 : M. Leroy *1840–47 :

Nestor Roqueplan Louis-Victor-Nestor Roqueplan lso sometimes spelled Rocoplan(16 September 1805 – 24 April 1870) was a French writer, journalist, and theatre director. Early life and career Nestor Roqueplan was born near Montréal, Aude, and was the ...

*1847–49 : M. Morin *1849–51 : M. Thibeaudeau-Milon
(M. Bowes, proprietor) *1851–54 : M. Carpier (M. Bowes, proprietor) *1855 : MM. Laurencin & Zacheroni (M. Bowes, proprietor) *1855 : Hippolyte & Théodore Cogniard *1856–69 : Hippolyte Cogniard &

Jules Noriac Jules Noriac, real name Claude, Antoine, Jules Cairon, (24 April 1827 – 1 October 1882), was a French journalist, playwright, writer, librettist and theatre director. Biography Cairon was first a journalist and columnist in many newspapers. ...

*1869–91 : Eugène Bertrand *1892–1914 : Fernand Samuel *1914–40 : Max Maurey *1940–43 : Émile Petit *1944–45 : Max Maurey & Émile Petit *1946–47 : Max & Denis Maurey *1947–75 : Denis & Marcel Maurey *1975–89 :

Jean-Michel Rouzière Jean-Michel Rouzière (died 13 February 1989) was a French comic actor and theatre head. Life He headed the théâtre du Palais-Royal from 1965 then headed the Théâtre des Variétés from 1975. He was made a knight of the Légion d'Honneur. ...

*1989–91 : Francis Lemonnier *1991–2004 :

Jean-Paul Belmondo Jean-Paul Charles Belmondo (; 9 April 19336 September 2021) was a French actor and producer. Initially associated with the New Wave of the 1960s, he was a major French film star for several decades from the 1960s onward. His best known credits ...

*since 2005 : Jean-Manuel Bajen

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Theatre Des Varietes Varietes Buildings and structures in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris

History

Other activities

Premieres at the theatre

Directors

See also

References

External links