Théâtre des Variétés

The théâtre des Variétés is a theatre and "salle de spectacles" at 7, boulevard Montmartre, IIe arrondissement, in Paris. It was declared a monument historique in 1975.

History

It owes its creation to Marguerite Brunet, called Mlle Montansier. 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 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 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. It was inaugurated on 24 June 1807.

Premieres at the theatre

* 1864: "La belle Hélène", opéra bouffe by Jacques Offenbach, libretto by Meilhac and Halévy
* 1867: "La Grande-Duchesse de Gérolstein", opéra bouffe by Jacques Offenbach, libretto by Meilhac and Halévy
* 1868: "La Périchole", opéra bouffe by Jacques Offenbach, libretto by Meilhac and Halévy
* 1869: "Les brigands", opéra bouffe by Jacques Offenbach, libretto by Meilhac and Halévy
* 1883: "Mam'zelle Nitouche", vaudeville-operette by Hervé
* 1907: "L'Enfant prodigue", the first feature-length European film, directed by Michel Carré, fils.
* 1923: "Ciboulette", operetta by Reynaldo Hahn, libretto by Robert de Flers and Francis de Croisset
* 1946: "César" by Marcel Pagnol, after his film of the same name.

Directors

*1807-19 : Mlle Montansier
*1820-30 : Mira Brunet
*1930-36 : Armand Dartois
*1836 : Jean-François Bayard
*1837-39 : Philippe Pinel-Dumanoir
*1839 : Jouslin de la Salle
*1840 : M. Leroy
*1840-47 : Nestor Roqueplan
*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
*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
*1989-91 : Francis Lemonnier
*1991-2004 : Jean-Paul Belmondo
*depuis 2005 : Jean-Manuel Bajen

External links

* [http://www.theatre-des-varietes.fr/ Official site]