Boulevard theatre
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Boulevard theatre is a theatral aesthetic which emerged from the boulevards of Paris's old city.
Starting from the second half of the 18th century, popular and bourgeois theatre alike took up residence on the boulevard du Temple, then nicknamed crime boulevard due to the many melodramas and murder stories shown there.
In addition to the many attractions on display there -- fireworks, pantomime, acrobats, etc. -- a so-called boulevard repertoire emerged as separate from upper-class theatre. Then, starting from the Second French Empire, vaudeville theatre and comédie d'intrigue arrived on the scene. Boulevard theatre is an entertainment form promoted by private theatre companies.
[edit] Further reading
- Brigitte Brunet, Le théâtre de boulevard[1]
