Théâtre des Folies-Marigny
Encyclopedia
The Théâtre des Folies-Marigny, a former Parisian theatre with a capacity of only 300 spectators, was built in 1848 by the City of Paris for a magician named Lacaze and was originally known as the Salle Lacaze. It was located at the east end of the Carré Marigny of the Champs-Élysées
, close to the Avenue Marigny, but faced west toward the Cirque National on the other side of the square.
In 1855 the Salle Lacaze became the home of Jacques Offenbach
's Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens, where he first built his reputation as a theatre composer. It was subsequently used unsuccessfully by several companies until 1864, when it again became a profitable operetta theatre called the Folies-Marigny. When this company diminished in popularity, the theatre was closed. It was demolished in 1881 and replaced with the Panorama Marigny which was converted into the Théâtre Marigny
in 1893.
a small theatre called the Salle Lacaze was built for a magician named Lacaze.
It was a summer theatre, and in it he presented "legerdemain and amusing physical representations." His theatre was also known as the Château d'Enfer (Castle of the Underworld).
Lacaze began losing money, and sometime after 1852 he closed down.
decided that the position of this modest wooden theatre was perfectly situated on the Carré Marigny
to catch overspill traffic from the Universal Exposition of 1855
; after some modifications to the site he opened the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens on 5 July 1855. The theatre had a capacity of only 300 spectators. At the inaugural performance, Offenbach conducted four of his own works, the last of which was Les deux aveugles
, a one-act bouffonerie musicale about two swindling "blind" Parisian beggars. This little piece soon acquired an international reputation due to visitors from the Exposition and due to some controversy over its subject matter. Another notable premiere that summer was Le violoneux
. Further performances in the summer of 1855 were primarily of satirical sketches which only included a few musical numbers. The season, however, was so successful that Offenbach was able to resign his position as conductor of the Théâtre Français. This theatre was soon renamed Bouffes d'Été, as during the winter Offenbach directed the Bouffes d'Hiver in the Salle Choiseul on the rue Monsigny. The company also used the Salle Lacaze for the 1856, 1857, and 1859 summer seasons, and a total of 16 Offenbach pieces were premiered here by the Bouffes-Parisiens.
Offenbach sublet the hall to the mime Charles Deburau
in 1858 for one unsuccessful summer season (5 June to 14 October), when it was known as the Théâtre Deburau or the Bouffes-Deburau. Deburau's season included the premieres of three 1-act pieces with music by Hervé
: Le voiturier (3 September), La belle espagnole (22 September), and Simple histoire (10 October).
After Deburau, the theatre was again used by the Bouffes-Parisiens (1859). During the summer of 1860 Offenbach's company performed in Brusssels in June, while Offenbach himself went to Berlin to conduct the Berlin premiere of Orphée aux enfers, and from July to early August the company performed in Lyon, leaving the Salle Lacaze empty. Legislation enacted in March 1861 prevented the Bouffes-Parisiens from continuing to use both theatres, and their appearances at the Salle Lacaze were discontinued.
The theatre was next acquired by (Mme Lionel de Chabrillan), who rechristened it the Théâtre Féérique des Champs-Élysées, but she did not do much better than Deburau. She passed it on to Eugène Moniot, under whom it was known as the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées (1862–1863), which should not be confused with the later Théâtre des Champs-Élysées
on the avenue Montaigne.
, who with his future wife Mlle Macé
, turned it into a popular success as the Théâtre des Folies-Marigny (26 March 1864).
Several early operettas of Charles Lecocq were performed here. The tenor Achille-Félix Montaubry
, formerly with the Opéra-Comique
, experienced a decline in the allure of his voice, purchased the theatre in 1868, and produced an operetta of his own composition called Horace.
In April of 1870 the theatre was taken over by Leduc.
The last performance was in April of 1881, and shortly thereafter it was demolished, to be replaced with a panorama designed by the architect Charles Garnier
. In 1893 Garnier's panorama was converted by the architect Édouard Niermans into a new theatre, which opened on 22 January 1896 under the name Folies-Marigny, but this was soon shortened to Marigny-Théâtre or Théâtre Marigny
.
Champs-Élysées
The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is a prestigious avenue in Paris, France. With its cinemas, cafés, luxury specialty shops and clipped horse-chestnut trees, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées is one of the most famous streets and one of the most expensive strip of real estate in the world. The name is...
, close to the Avenue Marigny, but faced west toward the Cirque National on the other side of the square.
In 1855 the Salle Lacaze became the home of Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach was a Prussian-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s–1870s and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann. He was a powerful influence on later composers of the operetta genre, particularly Johann Strauss, Jr....
's Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens, where he first built his reputation as a theatre composer. It was subsequently used unsuccessfully by several companies until 1864, when it again became a profitable operetta theatre called the Folies-Marigny. When this company diminished in popularity, the theatre was closed. It was demolished in 1881 and replaced with the Panorama Marigny which was converted into the Théâtre Marigny
Théâtre Marigny
The Théâtre Marigny is a theatre in Paris, situated near the junction of the Champs-Élysées and the Avenue Marigny, in the 8th arrondissement. It was originally built to designs of the architect Charles Garnier for the display of a panorama, which opened in 1883...
in 1893.
Salle Lacaze
The first recorded entertainment use of the site dates to 1835, when a showman set up attractions at the Marigny junction. After the French Revolution of 1848French Revolution of 1848
The 1848 Revolution in France was one of a wave of revolutions in 1848 in Europe. In France, the February revolution ended the Orleans monarchy and led to the creation of the French Second Republic. The February Revolution was really the belated second phase of the Revolution of 1830...
a small theatre called the Salle Lacaze was built for a magician named Lacaze.
It was a summer theatre, and in it he presented "legerdemain and amusing physical representations." His theatre was also known as the Château d'Enfer (Castle of the Underworld).
Lacaze began losing money, and sometime after 1852 he closed down.
Bouffes-Parisiens
In the spring of 1855 the composer Jacques OffenbachJacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach was a Prussian-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s–1870s and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann. He was a powerful influence on later composers of the operetta genre, particularly Johann Strauss, Jr....
decided that the position of this modest wooden theatre was perfectly situated on the Carré Marigny
Carré Marigny
The Carré Marigny , in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, is the site of an open-air market where postage stamps are bought and sold by hobbyists and serious philatelists....
to catch overspill traffic from the Universal Exposition of 1855
Exposition Universelle (1855)
The Exposition Universelle of 1855 was an International Exhibition held on the Champs-Elysées in Paris from May 15 to November 15, 1855. Its full official title was the Exposition Universelle des produits de l'Agriculture, de l'Industrie et des Beaux-Arts de Paris 1855.The exposition was a major...
; after some modifications to the site he opened the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens on 5 July 1855. The theatre had a capacity of only 300 spectators. At the inaugural performance, Offenbach conducted four of his own works, the last of which was Les deux aveugles
Les deux aveugles
Les deux aveugles is a one-act bouffonerie musicale, in the style of an operetta, by Jacques Offenbach to a French libretto by Jules Moinaux...
, a one-act bouffonerie musicale about two swindling "blind" Parisian beggars. This little piece soon acquired an international reputation due to visitors from the Exposition and due to some controversy over its subject matter. Another notable premiere that summer was Le violoneux
Le violoneux
Le violoneux is a one-act operetta by Jacques Offenbach to a French libretto by Eugène Mestépès and Émile Chevalet, first performed in 1855.-Performance history:...
. Further performances in the summer of 1855 were primarily of satirical sketches which only included a few musical numbers. The season, however, was so successful that Offenbach was able to resign his position as conductor of the Théâtre Français. This theatre was soon renamed Bouffes d'Été, as during the winter Offenbach directed the Bouffes d'Hiver in the Salle Choiseul on the rue Monsigny. The company also used the Salle Lacaze for the 1856, 1857, and 1859 summer seasons, and a total of 16 Offenbach pieces were premiered here by the Bouffes-Parisiens.
Offenbach sublet the hall to the mime Charles Deburau
Charles Deburau
Jean-Charles Deburau was an important French mime, the son and successor of the legendary Jean-Gaspard Deburau, who was immortalized as Baptiste the Pierrot in Marcel Carné's film Children of Paradise...
in 1858 for one unsuccessful summer season (5 June to 14 October), when it was known as the Théâtre Deburau or the Bouffes-Deburau. Deburau's season included the premieres of three 1-act pieces with music by Hervé
Hervé (composer)
Hervé , real name Louis Auguste Florimond Ronger, was a French singer, composer, librettist, conductor and scene painter, whom Ernest Newman, following Reynaldo Hahn, credited with inventing the genre of operetta in Paris.-Life:Hervé was born in Houdain near Arras...
: Le voiturier (3 September), La belle espagnole (22 September), and Simple histoire (10 October).
After Deburau, the theatre was again used by the Bouffes-Parisiens (1859). During the summer of 1860 Offenbach's company performed in Brusssels in June, while Offenbach himself went to Berlin to conduct the Berlin premiere of Orphée aux enfers, and from July to early August the company performed in Lyon, leaving the Salle Lacaze empty. Legislation enacted in March 1861 prevented the Bouffes-Parisiens from continuing to use both theatres, and their appearances at the Salle Lacaze were discontinued.
The theatre was next acquired by (Mme Lionel de Chabrillan), who rechristened it the Théâtre Féérique des Champs-Élysées, but she did not do much better than Deburau. She passed it on to Eugène Moniot, under whom it was known as the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées (1862–1863), which should not be confused with the later Théâtre des Champs-Élysées
Théâtre des Champs-Élysées
The Théâtre des Champs-Élysées is a theatre at 15 avenue Montaigne. Despite its name, the theatre is not on the Champs-Élysées but nearby in another part of the 8th arrondissement of Paris....
on the avenue Montaigne.
Folies-Marigny
Moniot also failed to attract an audience and ceded the theatre to the actor MontrougeMontrouge (actor)
Montrouge , died 1903, was a comic actor in French musical theatre in the second half of the nineteenth century, as well as a theatre manager in Paris.-Life and career:...
, who with his future wife Mlle Macé
Marguerite Macé-Montrouge
Marguerite Macé-Montrouge, born Victoire Macé on 24 March 1836, died Paris 26 November 1898, became a professional actress at the age of 14, and was an early member of Offenbach's troupe, before enjoying a long stage career in Paris and elsewhere....
, turned it into a popular success as the Théâtre des Folies-Marigny (26 March 1864).
Several early operettas of Charles Lecocq were performed here. The tenor Achille-Félix Montaubry
Achille-Félix Montaubry
Achille-Félix Montaubry, was a French musician and operatic tenor, active in Paris; later a theatre director...
, formerly with the Opéra-Comique
Opéra-Comique
The Opéra-Comique is a Parisian opera company, which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with, and for a time took the name of its chief rival the Comédie-Italienne at the Hôtel de Bourgogne, and was also called the...
, experienced a decline in the allure of his voice, purchased the theatre in 1868, and produced an operetta of his own composition called Horace.
In April of 1870 the theatre was taken over by Leduc.
The last performance was in April of 1881, and shortly thereafter it was demolished, to be replaced with a panorama designed by the architect Charles Garnier
Charles Garnier
Charles Garnier may refer to:*Charles Garnier , Jesuit missionary, martyred in Canada in 1649*Charles Garnier , 19th century French architect...
. In 1893 Garnier's panorama was converted by the architect Édouard Niermans into a new theatre, which opened on 22 January 1896 under the name Folies-Marigny, but this was soon shortened to Marigny-Théâtre or Théâtre Marigny
Théâtre Marigny
The Théâtre Marigny is a theatre in Paris, situated near the junction of the Champs-Élysées and the Avenue Marigny, in the 8th arrondissement. It was originally built to designs of the architect Charles Garnier for the display of a panorama, which opened in 1883...
.