Théâtre de la Renaissance
Encyclopedia
The name Théâtre de la Renaissance has been used successively for three distinct Parisian theatre companies. The first two companies, which were short-lived enterprises in the 19th century, used the Salle Ventadour
, now an office building on the Rue Méhul in the 2nd arrondissement.
The current company was founded in 1873, and its much smaller theatre (pictured) was built that same year next to the Porte Saint-Martin
at 20 boulevard Saint-Martin, in the 10th arrondissement. Besides performances of musical theatre, Feydeau
's farces were first produced in this theatre, and plays by Victorien Sardou
. Among the actors who triumphed there were Sarah Bernhardt
, Eleanora Duse, and Raimu
, later Agnès Jaoui
and Jean-Pierre Bacri
.
and Alexandre Dumas, père
, who wanted to have a location for mounting their historical dramas. The Salle Ventadour
(built in 1829 for the Opéra-Comique
) was used.
On 8 November 1838, Hugo's Ruy Blas
starring Frédérick Lemaître
had a triumphant premiere, and the French version of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor
was produced there in August 1839. His L'ange de Nisida
, which was later reworked into La favorite
, was commissioned by the company, although never performed due to bankruptcy. In April 1839, L'Alchimiste and Paul Jones by Alexandre Dumas (also with Frédérick Lemaître) were staged, but, due to theatrical intrigues, it was forced to close in 1841.
(director of the Théâtre Lyrique
) obtained the rights to stage operatic works at the Ventadour
, mainly more elaborate works in the Théâtre Lyrique's repertory, with Adolphe Deloffre
as chief conductor. The season opened with Faust
and included other works by Gounod and Clapisson. The company was very short-lived, lasting from 16 March 1868 to 5 May 1868.
(after the novel by Emile Zola
) was premiered in July 1873, Giroflé-Girofla
and La Petite Mariée, opéras-bouffes by Charles Lecocq in 1874 and 1875.
Victor Koning succeeded Hopstein from December 1875 until 1882, and opéras-bouffes and opéras-comiques
featured strongly : in 1877 La Marjolaine by Charles Lecocq, Le Tzigane by Johann Strauss
, in 1878 Le petit duc
by Lecocq, in 1879 La Petite Mademoiselle by Lecocq and in 1880 Belle Lurette by Jacques Offenbach
.
From 1882 to 1893 the theatre lacked direction although the period saw the creation of Fanfreluche, an opéra-comique by Gaston Serpette in 1883, La Parisienne and La Navette by Henry Becque in 1885, Tailleur pour dames by Feydeau
in 1886, Isoline
by André Messager
in 1888, and Madame Chrysanthème also by Messager in 1893.
Sarah Bernhardt
took over the direction from 1893 to 1899, during which time Gismonda
by Victorien Sardou
in 1894, La Princesse lointaine by Edmond Rostand
in 1895, Les Amants by Maurice Donnay and La Figurante by François Curel in 1896, La Ville morte by Gabriele D'Annunzio
, L'Affranchie by Maurice Donnay, Le Radeau de la Méduse
by Romain Coolus in 1898, were all premiered. On 3 December 1896, Bernhardt created herself Lorenzaccio
by Musset and the following year La Samaritaine by Edmond Rostand
.
The Milliaud brothers ran the theatre from 1899, followed by Firmin Gémier in 1901, until the arrival of Lucien Guitry
from October 1902 until 1909. The actor Albert Tarride then directed the théâtre, then Cora Laparcerie took over in 1913, with Marcel Paston from 1928 to 1933.
In 1942, while the theatre was threatened with destruction, Henri Varna acquired the building and Jean Darcante put on shows.
In Octobre 1956 the actress Véra Korène
of the Comédie-Française
became director of a theatre restored in the style of the Second Empire. 23 September 1959 saw the creation of Les Séquestrés d'Altona by Jean-Paul Sartre
with Serge Reggiani
. 1960 saw L'Etouffe-Chrétien by Félicien Marceau
with Arletty
, with Louisiane by Marcel Aymé
in 1961, Qui a peur de Virginia Woolf ?
in 1962 and Douce-Amère, first play by Jean Poiret
in 1970.
In 1978 there was a season of opérettes, and from 1981 to 1988 Michèle Lavalard led the théâtre succeeded by Niels Arestrup. In 1990 La Cuisse du Steward by Jean-Michel Ribes was premiered, and in 1994 Un Air de Famille by Agnès Jaoui
and Jean-Pierre Bacri
.
Under Christian Spillemaecker and Bruno Moynot, the theatre staged comic plays and shows with success.
The current capacity is 650 seats.
Salle Ventadour
The Salle Ventadour, a former Parisian theatre in the rue Neuve-Ventadour, now the rue Méhul , was built between 1826 and 1829 for the Opéra-Comique, to designs by Jacques-Marie Huvé, a prominent architect...
, now an office building on the Rue Méhul in the 2nd arrondissement.
The current company was founded in 1873, and its much smaller theatre (pictured) was built that same year next to the Porte Saint-Martin
Porte Saint-Martin
The Porte Saint-Martin is a Parisian monument located at the site of one of the gates of the now-destroyed fortifications of Paris. It is located at the crossing of Rue Saint-Martin, Rue du Faubourg Saint-Martin and the grands boulevards Boulevard Saint-Martin and Boulevard Saint-Denis.- History...
at 20 boulevard Saint-Martin, in the 10th arrondissement. Besides performances of musical theatre, Feydeau
Georges Feydeau
Georges Feydeau was a French playwright of the era known as the Belle Époque. He is remembered for his many lively farces.-Biography:Georges Feydeau was born in Paris, the son of novelist Ernest-Aimé Feydeau and Léocadie Bogaslawa Zalewska. At the age of twenty, Feydeau wrote his first comic...
's farces were first produced in this theatre, and plays by Victorien Sardou
Victorien Sardou
Victorien Sardou was a French dramatist. He is best remembered today for his development, along with Eugène Scribe, of the well-made play...
. Among the actors who triumphed there were Sarah Bernhardt
Sarah Bernhardt
Sarah Bernhardt was a French stage and early film actress, and has been referred to as "the most famous actress the world has ever known". Bernhardt made her fame on the stages of France in the 1870s, and was soon in demand in Europe and the Americas...
, Eleanora Duse, and Raimu
Raimu
Raimu was the stage name for the French actor Jules Auguste Muraire .-Biography:Born in Toulon in the Var département, he made his stage debut there in 1899. After coming to the attention of the then great music hall star Félix Mayol who was also from Toulon, in 1908 he was given a chance to work...
, later Agnès Jaoui
Agnès Jaoui
Agnès Jaoui is a French screenwriter, film director, actress and singer of Tunisian Jewish descent. She frequently works in collaboration with her husband Jean-Pierre Bacri.-Actress:* Le Faucon...
and Jean-Pierre Bacri
Jean-Pierre Bacri
Jean-Pierre Bacri is a French actor and screenwriter who frequently works in collaboration with Agnès Jaoui.-Life:One of his earliest film appearances was Subway...
.
1838-1841
The first company to be called Théâtre de la Renaissance opened its doors in 1838 under the sponsorship of Victor HugoVictor Hugo
Victor-Marie Hugo was a Frenchpoet, playwright, novelist, essayist, visual artist, statesman, human rights activist and exponent of the Romantic movement in France....
and Alexandre Dumas, père
Alexandre Dumas, père
Alexandre Dumas, , born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie was a French writer, best known for his historical novels of high adventure which have made him one of the most widely read French authors in the world...
, who wanted to have a location for mounting their historical dramas. The Salle Ventadour
Salle Ventadour
The Salle Ventadour, a former Parisian theatre in the rue Neuve-Ventadour, now the rue Méhul , was built between 1826 and 1829 for the Opéra-Comique, to designs by Jacques-Marie Huvé, a prominent architect...
(built in 1829 for 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...
) was used.
On 8 November 1838, Hugo's Ruy Blas
Ruy Blas
Ruy Blas is a tragic drama by Victor Hugo. It was the first play presented at the Théâtre de la Renaissance and opened on November 8, 1838. Though considered by many to be Hugo’s best drama, the play initially met with only average success....
starring Frédérick Lemaître
Frédérick Lemaître
Frédérick Lemaître — birth name Antoine Louis Prosper Lemaître — was a French actor and playwright, one of the most famous players on the celebrated Boulevard du Crime.-Biography:...
had a triumphant premiere, and the French version of Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucia di Lammermoor
Lucia di Lammermoor is a dramma tragico in three acts by Gaetano Donizetti. Salvadore Cammarano wrote the Italian language libretto loosely based upon Sir Walter Scott's historical novel The Bride of Lammermoor....
was produced there in August 1839. His L'ange de Nisida
L'ange de Nisida
L'ange de Nisida is an opera semiseria in four acts by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti, from a libretto by Alphonse Royer and Gustave Vaëz....
, which was later reworked into La favorite
La favorite
La favorite is an opera in four acts by Gaetano Donizetti to a French-language libretto by Alphonse Royer and Gustave Vaëz, based on the play Le comte de Comminges by Baculard d'Arnaud...
, was commissioned by the company, although never performed due to bankruptcy. In April 1839, L'Alchimiste and Paul Jones by Alexandre Dumas (also with Frédérick Lemaître) were staged, but, due to theatrical intrigues, it was forced to close in 1841.
The Carvalho company
In 1868 CarvalhoLéon Carvalho
Léon Carvalho was a French impresario and stage director.-Biography:Born Léon Carvaille in Port-Louis, Mauritius, he came to France at an early age...
(director of the Théâtre Lyrique
Théâtre Lyrique
The Théâtre Lyrique was one of four opera companies performing in Paris during the middle of the 19th century . The company was founded in 1847 as the Opéra-National by the French composer Adolphe Adam and renamed Théâtre Lyrique in 1852...
) obtained the rights to stage operatic works at the Ventadour
Salle Ventadour
The Salle Ventadour, a former Parisian theatre in the rue Neuve-Ventadour, now the rue Méhul , was built between 1826 and 1829 for the Opéra-Comique, to designs by Jacques-Marie Huvé, a prominent architect...
, mainly more elaborate works in the Théâtre Lyrique's repertory, with Adolphe Deloffre
Adolphe Deloffre
Louis Michel Adolphe Deloffre was a French violinist and conductor active in London and Paris, who conducted several important operatic premieres in the latter city, particularly by Charles Gounod and Georges Bizet....
as chief conductor. The season opened with Faust
Faust (opera)
Faust is a drame lyrique in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré from Carré's play Faust et Marguerite, in turn loosely based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust, Part 1...
and included other works by Gounod and Clapisson. The company was very short-lived, lasting from 16 March 1868 to 5 May 1868.
1873 to the present
The architect Charles de Lalande designed a new 'théâtre à l'italienne' on the site of the Deffieux restaurant. The inauguration took place on 8 March 1873 with La Femme de feu by Adolphe Belot. Hippolyte Hopstein directed the theatre until December 1875. Thérèse RaquinThérèse Raquin
Thérèse Raquin is the title of a novel and a play by the French writer Émile Zola. The novel was originally published in serial format in the journal L'Artiste and in book format in December of the same year.-Plot introduction:Thérèse Raquin tells the story of a young woman, unhappily married to...
(after the novel by Emile Zola
Émile Zola
Émile François Zola was a French writer, the most important exemplar of the literary school of naturalism and an important contributor to the development of theatrical naturalism...
) was premiered in July 1873, Giroflé-Girofla
Giroflé-Girofla
Giroflé Girofla is an opéra bouffe in three acts of 1874 with music by Charles Lecocq. The French libretto was by Albert Vanloo and Eugène Leterrier.-Performance history:...
and La Petite Mariée, opéras-bouffes by Charles Lecocq in 1874 and 1875.
Victor Koning succeeded Hopstein from December 1875 until 1882, and opéras-bouffes and opéras-comiques
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...
featured strongly : in 1877 La Marjolaine by Charles Lecocq, Le Tzigane by Johann Strauss
Johann Strauss II
Johann Strauss II , also known as Johann Baptist Strauss or Johann Strauss, Jr., the Younger, or the Son , was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas. He composed over 500 waltzes, polkas, quadrilles, and other types of dance music, as well as several operettas...
, in 1878 Le petit duc
Le petit duc
Le petit duc is an opéra comique in three acts by Charles Lecocq. The French libretto was by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy.-Performance history:...
by Lecocq, in 1879 La Petite Mademoiselle by Lecocq and in 1880 Belle Lurette by 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....
.
From 1882 to 1893 the theatre lacked direction although the period saw the creation of Fanfreluche, an opéra-comique by Gaston Serpette in 1883, La Parisienne and La Navette by Henry Becque in 1885, Tailleur pour dames by Feydeau
Georges Feydeau
Georges Feydeau was a French playwright of the era known as the Belle Époque. He is remembered for his many lively farces.-Biography:Georges Feydeau was born in Paris, the son of novelist Ernest-Aimé Feydeau and Léocadie Bogaslawa Zalewska. At the age of twenty, Feydeau wrote his first comic...
in 1886, Isoline
Isoline (opera)
Isoline is an opera, described as a 'conte de fées' in three acts and ten tableaux, on a text by Catulle Mendès, with music by André Messager.-Background:...
by André Messager
André Messager
André Charles Prosper Messager , was a French composer, organist, pianist, conductor and administrator. His stage compositions included ballets and 30 opéra comiques and operettas, among which Véronique, had lasting success, with Les p'tites Michu and Monsieur Beaucaire also enjoying international...
in 1888, and Madame Chrysanthème also by Messager in 1893.
Sarah Bernhardt
Sarah Bernhardt
Sarah Bernhardt was a French stage and early film actress, and has been referred to as "the most famous actress the world has ever known". Bernhardt made her fame on the stages of France in the 1870s, and was soon in demand in Europe and the Americas...
took over the direction from 1893 to 1899, during which time Gismonda
Gismonda
Gismonda is Greek melodrama in four acts by Victorien Sardou that premiered in 1894 at Renaissance Theatre. Later it would be adapted into the opera Gismonda by Henry Février.-Plot:Act I starts in 1450 in Athens at the foot of the Acropolis....
by Victorien Sardou
Victorien Sardou
Victorien Sardou was a French dramatist. He is best remembered today for his development, along with Eugène Scribe, of the well-made play...
in 1894, La Princesse lointaine by Edmond Rostand
Edmond Rostand
Edmond Eugène Alexis Rostand was a French poet and dramatist. He is associated with neo-romanticism, and is best known for his play Cyrano de Bergerac. Rostand's romantic plays provided an alternative to the naturalistic theatre popular during the late nineteenth century...
in 1895, Les Amants by Maurice Donnay and La Figurante by François Curel in 1896, La Ville morte by Gabriele D'Annunzio
Gabriele D'Annunzio
Gabriele D'Annunzio or d'Annunzio was an Italian poet, journalist, novelist, and dramatist...
, L'Affranchie by Maurice Donnay, Le Radeau de la Méduse
Le Radeau de la Méduse
For other uses, including the painting by Théodore Géricault See: Radeau 'Le Radeau de la Méduse is a French film by Iradj Azimi .-Plot:...
by Romain Coolus in 1898, were all premiered. On 3 December 1896, Bernhardt created herself Lorenzaccio
Lorenzaccio
Lorenzaccio is a French play of the Romantic period written by Alfred de Musset in 1834, set in 16th-century Florence, and depicting Lorenzino de' Medici, who killed Florence's tyrant, Alessandro de' Medici, his cousin. Having engaged in debaucheries to gain the Duke's confidence, he loses the...
by Musset and the following year La Samaritaine by Edmond Rostand
Edmond Rostand
Edmond Eugène Alexis Rostand was a French poet and dramatist. He is associated with neo-romanticism, and is best known for his play Cyrano de Bergerac. Rostand's romantic plays provided an alternative to the naturalistic theatre popular during the late nineteenth century...
.
The Milliaud brothers ran the theatre from 1899, followed by Firmin Gémier in 1901, until the arrival of Lucien Guitry
Lucien Guitry
Lucien Germain Guitry was a French actor.In 1885, while living in Saint Petersburg, he appeared at the French Theatre. His son, the future actor, writer and director Sacha Guitry, was born in Saint Petersburg and named in honour of Tsar Alexander III...
from October 1902 until 1909. The actor Albert Tarride then directed the théâtre, then Cora Laparcerie took over in 1913, with Marcel Paston from 1928 to 1933.
In 1942, while the theatre was threatened with destruction, Henri Varna acquired the building and Jean Darcante put on shows.
In Octobre 1956 the actress Véra Korène
Véra Korène
Véra Korène , was a Russian-born French actress and singer.Born Rébecca Véra Korestzky in Russia of Jewish heritage, she fled the Revolution and settled in Paris, France....
of the Comédie-Française
Comédie-Française
The Comédie-Française or Théâtre-Français is one of the few state theaters in France. It is the only state theater to have its own troupe of actors. It is located in the 1st arrondissement of Paris....
became director of a theatre restored in the style of the Second Empire. 23 September 1959 saw the creation of Les Séquestrés d'Altona by Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre was a French existentialist philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic. He was one of the leading figures in 20th century French philosophy, particularly Marxism, and was one of the key figures in literary...
with Serge Reggiani
Serge Reggiani
Serge Reggiani was an Italian-born French singer and actor. He was born in Reggio Emilia, Italy and moved to France with his parents at the age of eight...
. 1960 saw L'Etouffe-Chrétien by Félicien Marceau
Félicien Marceau
Félicien Marceau is the pen name of Louis Carette a French novelist, playwright and essayist originally from Belgium. He was close to the Hussards right-wing literary movement, itself close to the monarchist .He received the Prix Goncourt for his book Creezy in 1969...
with Arletty
Arletty
Arletty was a French actress, singer, and fashion model.-Life and career:Arletty was born Léonie Marie Julie Bathiat in Courbevoie , to a working-class family. Her early career was dominated by the music hall, and she later appeared in plays and cabaret. Arletty was a stage performer for ten years...
, with Louisiane by Marcel Aymé
Marcel Aymé
Marcel Aymé was a French novelist, children's writer, humour writer and also a screenwriter and theatre playwright.- Biography :...
in 1961, Qui a peur de Virginia Woolf ?
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is a play by Edward Albee that opened on Broadway at the Billy Rose Theater on October 13, 1962. The original cast featured Uta Hagen as Martha, Arthur Hill as George, Melinda Dillon as Honey and George Grizzard as Nick. It was directed by Alan Schneider...
in 1962 and Douce-Amère, first play by Jean Poiret
Jean Poiret
Jean Poiret, born Jean Poiré, was a French actor, director, and screenwriter. He is primarily known as the author of the original play La Cage Aux Folles. Jean Poiret was born in Paris, France, where he died of a heart attack in 1992...
in 1970.
In 1978 there was a season of opérettes, and from 1981 to 1988 Michèle Lavalard led the théâtre succeeded by Niels Arestrup. In 1990 La Cuisse du Steward by Jean-Michel Ribes was premiered, and in 1994 Un Air de Famille by Agnès Jaoui
Agnès Jaoui
Agnès Jaoui is a French screenwriter, film director, actress and singer of Tunisian Jewish descent. She frequently works in collaboration with her husband Jean-Pierre Bacri.-Actress:* Le Faucon...
and Jean-Pierre Bacri
Jean-Pierre Bacri
Jean-Pierre Bacri is a French actor and screenwriter who frequently works in collaboration with Agnès Jaoui.-Life:One of his earliest film appearances was Subway...
.
Under Christian Spillemaecker and Bruno Moynot, the theatre staged comic plays and shows with success.
The current capacity is 650 seats.