The Théâtre Grévin is a Parisian theatre situated at 10

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 ...

in the

9th arrondissement of Paris The 9th arrondissement of Paris (''IXe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as the neuvième (; "ninth"). The arrondissement, called Opéra, is loc ...

and located within the

Musée Grévin The ''Musée Grévin'' (; ) ( en, Grévin Museum) is a wax museum in Paris located on the Grands Boulevards in the 9th arrondissement on the right bank of the Seine, at 10, Boulevard Montmartre, Paris, France. It is open daily; an admission fee ...

. It also overlooks the

Passage Jouffroy The Passage Jouffroy is a covered passages of Paris, France, located in the 9th arrondissement. It runs between the Boulevard Montmartre to the south and the Rue de la Grange-Batelière to the north. Description The Passage Jouffroy is a cover ...

. This site can be reached by the

Grands Boulevards The Boulevards of Paris are boulevards which form an important part of the urban landscape of Paris. The boulevards were constructed in several phases by central government initiative as infrastructure improvements, but are very much associated w ...

métro station.

History

From 1883 to 1900, a small room was used for magic acts, replaced from 1892 onwards by coloured projections by

Émile Reynaud Charles-Émile Reynaud (8 December 1844 – 9 January 1918) was a French inventor, responsible for the praxinoscope (an animation device patented in 1877 that improved on the zoetrope) and was responsible for the first projected animated fi ...

called Pantomimes lumineuses, cartoon ancestors. The current venue, named ''Cabinet fantastique'', was built in 1900 for the

Universal Exposition A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specif ...

within a complex initiated by the financier

Gabriel Thomas Gabriel-Jules Thomas (10 September 1824 – 8 March 1905) was a French sculptor, born in Paris. Thomas attended the École des Beaux-Arts and in 1848 he won the Prix de Rome in the sculpture category with his ''Philoctète partant pour le siè ...

and built by the architect Eugène-Émile Esnault-Pelterie, in which can also be found the

, the Palais des Mirages, the Coupole and the Salle des Colonnes. The famous Georges Méliès, inventor of film special effects, gave performances there. Throughout the end of the 19th century, before Méliès worked for film, at a fixed time during the day, visitors to the museum were able to attend small shows of moving images, magic or ombromania. It is now included in the inventory of the

Monuments historiques ''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 ...

, notably because of its stage curtain, an original painting by the famous poster designer

Jules Chéret Jules Chéret (31 May 1836 – 23 September 1932) was a French painter and lithographer who became a master of ''Belle Époque'' poster art. He has been called the father of the modern poster. Early life and career Born in Paris to a poor but ...

depicting characters from the '' Commedia dell'Arte'' as well as a

high relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term ''relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the ...

called ''Les Nuées'' by Antoine Bourdelle on its

pediment Pediments are gables, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the lintel, or entablature, if supported by columns. Pediments can contain an overdoor and are usually topped by hood moulds. A pedim ...

. It features 210 seats, hosts theatrical performances, recitals, press conferences, conventions and screenings.

Direction

The Grévin Museum was run for four generations by the Thomas family before merging with the

Parc Astérix Parc Astérix is a theme park in France based on the comic book series ''Asterix'' by Albert Uderzo and René Goscinny. With around 2.3 million visitors yearly, Parc Astérix is France's second largest theme park, behind only Disneyland Paris wit ...

SA group in 1999. The new company, "Grévin & Cie", was acquired in 2002 by the

Compagnie des Alpes Compagnie des Alpes () is a French company created in 1989 to operate many ski resorts in Europe. Compagnie des Alpes is a part of Caisse des dépôts et consignations. History Compagnie des Alpes was first established in 1989 as a ski resort ...

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Theatre Grevin Grévin Buildings and structures in the 9th arrondissement of Paris Theatres completed in 1900 1900 establishments in France

History

Direction

See also

References

External links