The Théâtre de la Porte Saint-Martin is a venerable theatre and opera house at 18, Boulevard Saint-Martin in the

10th arrondissement of Paris The 10th arrondissement of Paris (''Xe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as ''dixième'' ("10th arrondissement of Paris" = "dixième arrondisse ...

History

It was first built very rapidly in 1781 under the direction of (1726–1810) to house the

Paris Opéra The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be k ...

, whose previous home, the second

Salle du Palais-Royal Salle is the French word for 'hall', 'room' or 'auditorium', as in: * Salle des Concerts Herz, a former Paris concert hall *Salle Favart, theatre of the Paris Opéra-Comique *Salle Le Peletier, former home of the Paris Opéra *Salle Pleyel, a Pari ...

, had burned down on 8 June 1781. The new theatre had a capacity of about 2,000 spectators and included a parterre with the lowest-priced tickets sold only to males who stood throughout the performances, an amphitheatre, and four rows of boxes. The Opéra used the theatre from 27 October 1781 until August 1794."Atlantes et cariatides des grands boulevards - Paris.fr"
. The theatre was destroyed by fire during the

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (french: Commune de Paris, ) was a revolutionary government that seized power in Paris, the capital of France, from 18 March to 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard had defende ...

of 1871 and replaced in 1873 with a building designed by the architect Oscar de la Chardonnière (d. 1881), who enlisted the aid of the sculptor Jacques-Hyacinthe Chevalier (1825–1895) in the design of the new facade. The new interior was designed by H. Chevalier. With relatively brief interruptions, the theatre has been in continuous operation since.

Premieres

* 1783: ''

La caravane du Caire ''La Caravane du Caire'' is an opera or opéra-ballet in three acts by André Grétry, set to a libretto by Étienne Morel de Chédeville. Tradition has it that either the libretto was partially writtenCharlton. or the idea of it was allegedly s ...

'', opéra-ballet in three acts by André Grétry * 1787: ''

Tarare Tarare is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France. It lies on the Turdine river, 28 miles west-northwest of Lyon by rail. History The city was founded at the beginning of the 12th century, as the priory of Tarare by the Savigny ...

'', opéra (

tragédie lyrique This is a glossary list of opera genres, giving alternative names. "Opera" is an Italian word (short for "opera in musica"); it was not at first ''commonly'' used in Italy (or in other countries) to refer to the genre of particular works. Most c ...

) by

Antonio Salieri Antonio Salieri (18 August 17507 May 1825) was an Italian classical composer, conductor, and teacher. He was born in Legnago, south of Verona, in the Republic of Venice, and spent his adult life and career as a subject of the Habsburg monarchy ...

* 1806: ''Ramire, ou le fils naturel'', melodrama in 3 acts by Philippe Jacques de La Roche, music by Francesco Bianchi. * 1818: ''Les Deux Colons'', a one-act play interspersed with verses by Joseph Aude and James Harvey D'Egville * 1841: ''Les Farfadets'', a "ballet-féerie" 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. ...

* 1849: ''Le Postillon de Saint-Valéry'', opéra-comique by Auguste Pilati * 1849: ''Le pasteur, ou l’evangile et le foyer'', a play by Émile Souvestre and

Eugène Bourgeois Claude Eugène Hippolyte Bourgeois (March 12, 1818 - August 28, 1847) was a French dramatist and writer. Bourgeois was born in Morlaix. He is remembered today for collaborating with Émile Souvestre on the play ''Le Pasteur ou l'Évangile et le ...

* 1874: a stage version of

Jules Verne Jules Gabriel Verne (;''Longman Pronunciation Dictionary''. ; 8 February 1828 – 24 March 1905) was a French novelist, poet, and playwright. His collaboration with the publisher Pierre-Jules Hetzel led to the creation of the '' Voyages extra ...

's ''

Around the World in Eighty Days ''Around the World in Eighty Days'' (french: link=no, Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours) is an adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in French in 1872. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employe ...

'', adapted by Verne and Adolphe d'Ennery, which ran 415 performances (before its subsequent very long run at the

Théâtre du Châtelet The Théâtre du Châtelet () is a theatre and opera house, located in the place du Châtelet in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. One of two theatres (the other being the Théâtre de la Ville) built on the site of a ''châtelet'', a ...

) * 1880: ''L'Arbre de Noël'', operetta by

Alexandre Charles Lecocq Alexandre Charles Lecocq (3 June 183224 October 1918) was a French composer, known for his opérettes and opéra comique, opéras comiques. He became the most prominent successor to Jacques Offenbach in this sphere, and enjoyed considerable succ ...

and Georges Jacobi * 1887: '' La Tosca'', written by

Victorien Sardou Victorien Sardou ( , ; 5 September 18318 November 1908) was a French dramatist. He is best remembered today for his development, along with Eugène Scribe, of the well-made play. He also wrote several plays that were made into popular 19th-centur ...

for

Sarah Bernhardt Sarah Bernhardt (; born Henriette-Rosine Bernard; 22 or 23 October 1844 – 26 March 1923) was a French stage actress who starred in some of the most popular French plays of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including ''La Dame Aux Cameli ...

, with a hugely successful first run of 200 performances * 1897: the original ''

Cyrano de Bergerac Savinien de Cyrano de Bergerac ( , ; 6 March 1619 – 28 July 1655) was a French novelist, playwright, epistolarian, and duelist. A bold and innovative author, his work was part of the libertine literature of the first half of the 17th cen ...

'', the best-known work of

Edmond Rostand Edmond Eugène Alexis Rostand (, , ; 1 April 1868 – 2 December 1918) was a French poet and dramatist. He is associated with neo-romanticism and is known best for his 1897 play '' Cyrano de Bergerac''. Rostand's romantic plays contrasted with ...

, with Benoît-Constant Coquelin in the title role * 1907: '' The Affair of the Poisons'', final play by

* 1914: ''Monsieur Brotonneau'', play by

Gaston Arman de Caillavet Gaston Arman de Caillavet (13 March 1869 – 13 January 1915) was a French playwright. Early life Gaston Arman de Caillavet was born on 13 March 1869. He was the son of Albert Arman de Caillavet and Léontine Lippmann. His maternal grandfa ...

and Robert de Flers Three of the above were the basis of opera libretti: *

Verdi Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi (; 9 or 10 October 1813 – 27 January 1901) was an Italian composer best known for his operas. He was born near Busseto to a provincial family of moderate means, receiving a musical education with the ...

's ''

Stiffelio ''Stiffelio'' is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi, from an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. The origin of this was the novel ''Le pasteur d’hommes'', by Émile Souvestre, which was published in 1838. This was adapted into the ...

'' was based on ''Le pasteur, ou l’evangile et le foyer'' * Puccini's ''

Tosca ''Tosca'' is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1887 French-language dramati ...

'' was based on '' La Tosca'' * Alfano's ''

'' was based on ''

'' The theatre's other productions have included the ballet ''

Leda, the Swiss Milkmaid ''Lydia, the Swiss Milkmaid'' (a.k.a. ''Lydia, ou la Laitière Suisse'', or as ''Natalie, oder Das schweizer Milchmädche'') is a ''Demi-Caractère ballet'' in 2 acts, with choreography by Filippo Taglioni and music by Adalbert Gyrowetz. First pr ...

'' (1823) and works by

Dany Boon Dany Boon (; born Daniel Farid Hamidou on 26 June 1966) is a French actor, film director, screenwriter and producer. Starting out as a comedian during the 1990s, he found success in 2008 as an actor and director in the film comedy ''Welcome to ...

, Charles-Gaspard Delestre-Poirson and

References

External links

Official web site.

Facade of the current theatre

Google Maps Google Maps is a web mapping platform and consumer application offered by Google. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° interactive panoramic views of streets (Street View), real-time traffic conditions, and rou ...

street view at 18, boulevard Saint-Martin. {{authority control Theatres in the 10th arrondissement of Paris Porte Saint-Martin Porte Saint-Martin 1781 establishments in France Theatres completed in 1781

History

Premieres

See also

References

External links