Théâtre des Nouveautés

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Théâtre des Nouveautés

Théâtre des Nouveautés in 2010
General information
Address 24 boulevard Poissonnière, Paris 9th arr., France
Coordinates 48°52′17″N 2°20′41″E / 48.8713°N 2.3448°E / 48.8713; 2.3448
Inaugurated 1921
Other information
Seating capacity 585
Website
www.theatredesnouveautes.fr

The name Théâtre des Nouveautés ("Theatre of the New") has been used successively to refer to several different Parisian theatre companies and their buildings, beginning in 1827. The current theatre (pictured) was built in 1921 and is located at 24 boulevard Poissonnière (Paris, 9th arr.).

Previous theatres

The name was used for three different companies prior to inauguration of the current company in 1921.

1827–1832 (Salle de la Bourse)

The first Théâtre des Nouveautés opened on 10 March 1827 in the Salle de la Bourse (capacity 1250) located on the rue Vivienne, (Paris 2nd arr.) across from the Paris Bourse.[1] The founder was Cyprien Bérard, a former director of the Théâtre du Vaudeville. The programs consisted of ballads, opéras comiques (Hector Berlioz was a chorister there for a few months), satires and political plays. The theatre suffered the prohibitions of censorship and had recurrent difficulties with the Opéra-Comique, which refused to share its privileges. However, for other reasons Bérard was forced to close his theatre on 15 February 1832.[2]

By chance the Opéra-Comique, which had been bankrupted by the exorbitant rents at the Salle Ventadour, left that theatre and on 24 September 1832 opened at the Salle de la Bourse, which was often still referred to as the Théâtre des Nouveautés. The Opéra-Comique remained at the theatre for almost eight years, and the premieres of Hérold's Ludovic and Le pré aux clercs, Adam's Le chalet and Le postillon de Lonjumeau, Halévy's L'éclair, Auber's L'ambassadrice and Le domino noir, and Donizetti's La fille du régiment were all given there. The company's last performance in the theatre was on 30 April 1840, after which it moved to the new (second) Salle Favart.[2][3][4][5]

The Théâtre du Vaudeville then moved into the Salle de la Bourse, remaining there until 1869,[6] when it moved into a new theatre on the Boulevard des Capucines. The Salle de la Bourse was closed and immediately demolished. In its place there is now a pub named The Vaudeville in memory of that theatre.

1866–1873 (rue du Faubourg-Saint-Martin)

After more than thirty years of eclipse, a second Théâtre des Nouveautés was inaugurated on 7 April 1866 in a theatre on the rue du Faubourg-Saint-Martin(fr) (Paris 10th arr.), replacing the Salle Raphael, which had been built in 1863 and temporarily housed the troupe of the Théâtre des Délassements-Comiques in 1864. But a fire completely destroyed the new theatre just eight months after its opening. Rebuilt in less than three months, the theatre reopened on 28 January 1867. Many productions followed until October 1873 when the theatre returned to its former name - Théâtre des Délassements-Comiques. This incarnation of the theatre was demolished in 1878.

1878–1911 (boulevard des Italiens)

On 12 June 1878 a new Théâtre des Nouveautés was inaugurated at 26 boulevard des Italiens (Paris, 2nd arr.). Founded by Jules Brasseur (who had been an actor for over twenty years at the Théâtre du Palais-Royal) in collaboration with Mme Michaux (director of the Théâtre Royal du Parc in Brussels), the new theatre was built on the site of the old Fantaisies-Parisiennes, which had been inaugurated in 1864 and in 1875 completely rebuilt in a more convenient and carefully redecorated fashion as the Folies-Ollier. This incarnation of the Théâtre des Nouveautés was demolished in 1911 to allow the construction of the rue des Italiens.

Present theatre (boulevard Poissonnière)

The current Théâtre des Nouveautés was established in 1921 at 24 boulevard Poissonnière, (Paris, 9th arr.) under the leadership of Benoît-Léon Deutsch in collaboration with Gilbert Dupé. Built by the architect Adolf Tiers with 585 seats, the hall was inaugurated on 21 April 1921 with the play La journée des surprises ("The Day of Surprises") by Jean Bouchor. The programming was devoted to operettas and comedies. Gilbert Dupé succeeded Benoît-Léon Deutsch from 1961 to 1973. Denise Moreau-Chantegris took over in September 1973, and in 2010 Pascal Legros became the director of the theatre.

Recent productions

  • 2009: Un oreiller … ou trois? ("One pillow … or three?") by Ray Cooney and Gene Stone, originally Why not stay for breakfast? adapted and translated by Stewart Vaughan and Jean-Claude Islert, starring Delphine Depardieu and Paul Belmondo
  • 2010: Panique au ministère ("Panic at the Ministry") by Jean Franco and Guillaume Mélanie starring Amanda Lear
  • 2011: Le gai mariage ("The Gay Marriage") by Gérard Bitton and Michel Munz

References

Notes
  1. ↑ "Paris. 4: 1789–1870. (vii) Other companies. Théâtre des Nouveautés" in Sadie 1992, vol. 3, p. 872.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Hemmings 1994, 169–170.
  3. ↑ Bara 2009, p. 14.
  4. ↑ "Paris. 4: 1789–1870. Table 1: Principal Paris theatres, 1789–1870" in Sadie 1992, vol. 3, p. 867.
  5. ↑ Wild and Charlton 2005.
  6. ↑ "Paris. 4: 1789–1870. (vii) Other companies. Théâtre du Vaudeville" in Sadie 1992, vol. 3, p. 873.
Sources
  • Bara, Olivier (2009). "The Company at the Heart of the Operatic Institution: Chollet and the Changing Nature of Comic-Opera Role Types during the July Monarchy" in Fauser and Everist 2009, pp. 11–28.
  • Fauser, Annegret; Everist, Mark, editors (2009). Music, theater, and cultural transfer. Paris, 1830–1914. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-23926-2.
  • Hemmings, F. W. J. (1994). Theatre and State in France, 1760–1905. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-03472-2 (2006 reprint).
  • Sadie, Stanley, ed. (1992). The New Grove Dictionary of Opera (4 volumes). London: Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-56159-228-9.
  • Wild, Nicole; Charlton, David (2005). Théâtre de l'Opéra-Comique Paris: répertoire 1762-1972. Sprimont, Belgium: Editions Mardaga. ISBN 978-2-87009-898-1.
  • Some of the information in this article was translated from Wikipédia français.

External links

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