The Théâtre du Vaudeville () was a theatre company in Paris. It opened on 12 January 1792 on rue de Chartres. Its directors,
Piis and
Barré, mainly put on "petites pièces mêlées de couplets sur des airs connus", including
vaudevilles.
After the theatre on the rue de Chartres burned down in 1838, the Vaudeville temporarily based itself on boulevard de Bonne-Nouvelle before in 1841 setting up in the
Salle de la Bourse on the Place de la
Bourse in the
2e arrondissement. This building was demolished in 1869.
Eugène Labiche and
Henri Meilhac put on several of their works there, and it also hosted
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 extraor ...
's play ''Onze jours de siège'' (1861). Other writers whose works were put on there were
Edmond Gondinet,
Alexandre Bisson,
Théophile Marion Dumersan,
Jean-François Bayard,
Narcisse Fournier and
Gaston Arman de Caillavet.
In 1852, ''
La Dame aux camélias
''The Lady of the Camellias'' (), sometimes called ''Camille'' in English, is a novel by Alexandre Dumas ''fils''. First published in 1848 and subsequently adapted by Dumas for the stage, the play premiered at the Théâtre du Vaudeville in P ...
'' by
Alexandre Dumas fils was put on here. For the first time in the era, there were over 100 consecutive performances.
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, a small town in the province of Parma, to a family of moderate means, recei ...
was in the audience at this theatre and wrote ''
La Traviata'' (1853) based on the play.
From 1866 to 1868, a new Théâtre du Vaudeville was built on
boulevard des Capucines, at the corner of
Rue de la Chaussée-d'Antin
The Rue de la Chaussée-d'Antin () is a street in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. It runs north-northwest from the Boulevard des Italiens to the Église de la Sainte-Trinité, Paris, Église de la Sainte-Trinité.
History
In the 17th century, ...
, in the
9e arrondissement. Although the Vaudeville continued as a commercial boulevard playhouse, it occasionally leased its stage to new experimentalist plays of the Independent Theatre movement. On 20–21 May 1891,
Paul Fort
Jules-Jean-Paul Fort (1 February 1872 – 20 April 1960) was a French poet associated with the Symbolist movement. At the age of 18, reacting against the Naturalistic theatre, Fort founded the Théâtre d'Art (1890–93). He also founded and edi ...
's
Théâtre d'Art presented a benefit for
Paul Verlaine
Paul-Marie Verlaine ( ; ; 30 March 1844 – 8 January 1896) was a French poet associated with the Symbolism (movement), Symbolist movement and the Decadent movement. He is considered one of the greatest representatives of the ''fin de siècle'' ...
and
Paul Gauguin
Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin (; ; 7 June 1848 – 8 May 1903) was a French painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramist, and writer, whose work has been primarily associated with the Post-Impressionist and Symbolist movements. He was also an influ ...
, consisting of a program of poetry readings and five short plays, including, most notably, the premiere of
Maurice Maeterlinck
Maurice Polydore Marie Bernard Maeterlinck (29 August 1862 – 6 May 1949), also known as Count/Comte Maeterlinck from 1932, was a Belgian playwright, poet, and essayist who was Flemish but wrote in French. He was awarded the 1911 Nobel Prize in ...
's Symbolist landmark work ''
Intruder''.
[Robichez, Jacques. ''Le Symbolisme au Théâtre: Lugné-Poe et les débuts de l'Œuvre''. L'Arche, 1957, pp.492-95.]
In 1927, this building was acquired by
Paramount
Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to:
Entertainment and music companies
* Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS.
**Paramount Picture ...
and transformed into the cinema it is today, under the name the Paramount Opéra then (from 31 October 2007) the Gaumont Opéra. It has seven auditoria and is served by
Opéra on the
Paris Metro
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
.
References
External links
Productions at the Theatre on CESARThe Paramount Opéra movies
{{DEFAULTSORT:Theatre Du Vaudeville
Buildings and structures demolished in 1869
Vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...
Buildings and structures in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris
9th arrondissement of Paris
1792 establishments in France
Theatres completed in 1792
18th-century architecture in France