Photo © www.spirit-of-paris.comThis is one of the principal performing venues in central Paris, located along the Seine between the Louvre and the Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall). Built in the mid 19th century, it was dedicated to the performance of operettas. In addition, choreographers such as Diaghilev and dancers (Nijinsky and Anna Pavlova) helped to build an international reputation for this place. Stravinsky, Mahler, Strauss, Tchaikovsky and Debussy, as well, made their contributions around the turn of the 20th century.
Architect Davioud also designed a twin theater, Théâtre de Ville, which sits opposite the Théâtre du Châtelet across the Place du Châtelet; it is a principal venue for ballet.
A wildly popular operetta from the 1950s, “Le Chanteur de Mexico,” by Francis Lopez (immortalized by kitschy tenor Luis Mariano), was revived by the Théâtre du Châtelet in 2006, creating a sensation. The initial run sold out and was subsequently reprised for the entire month of June, 2007. The following video of that production reveals that, as best I can discern, it is the artistic equivalent of Elvis in tight pants and a sombrero. But judge for yourself.
Metro: Châtelet
1 comment:
Hmmm...sort of looks like a role for a male Carmen Miranda. And what's with the yodeling technique?
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