Tap to explore
Tap to explore
The Boieldieu Lobby
Until its troupe was disbanded in 1972, the Opéra-Comique was a repertory theatre. When the salle Favart reopened in 1898, it welcomed audiences with two heroines from the repertoire: Carmen (after Bizet) and Manon (after Massenet).
Tap to explore
The orchestra entrance
The orchestra audience is greeted by Jules Barbier (librettist) sculpted by Gustave Adolphe Désiré Crauk, and Jules Massenet (composer) sculpted by Jan and Joël Martel.
Tap to explore
The opéra-comique genre
The theatre has retained its original dimensions, which were conducive to the opéra-comique genre: alternating spoken scenes and sung pieces. The genre flourished in the Age of Enlightenment, influencing the German "singspiel" and the birth of the operetta.
Tap to explore
In the auditorium
The auditorium is "French-style", with few partitions, open to the central space and allowing optimum visual communication. It now seats 1,255. It was customary for the bourgeoisie to hold wedding interviews here during the intermissions.
Tap to explore
On a lighting element
The third salle Favart was the first theatre in Europe to be equipped with electricity. It applied the most recent safety regulations, enacted after the fire of 1887: fireproof materials, fire stations, iron curtains and doors opening to the outside.
Tap to explore
The Foyer
The theatre's decor is characterised by its eclecticism, typical of the 1900s, a period of transition passionate about history. It celebrates the French lyrical genius, as well as the vitality and grace of comic opera, suggested by the plant element, the lyre and the mask.
Tap to explore
The major market fairs
After Louis XIV expelled the Italian Comedians from Paris, fairground troupes recovered their methods and costumes to invent new parodic shows at the Saint-Germain and Saint-Laurent fairs. The audience at these fairs was very socially mixed.
Tap to explore
The Queen's comic ballet
In 1898, nationalist interests took precedence over historical accuracy. The French wanted to convince themselves that opera had been born in France (with Le Ballet de la Reine given in 1581, here represented without accuracy) and not in Italy (with Monteverdi's Orfeo in 1607).
More information on the Opéra-Comique : Opéra-Comique
