 Façade on the Place du Châtelet | |
 Interactive map of Théâtre de la Ville | |
| Former names |
|
|---|---|
| Address | 2 Place du Châtelet, 4th arrondissement Paris |
| Coordinates | 48°51′26″N02°20′53″E / 48.85722°N 2.34806°E /48.85722; 2.34806 |
| Capacity | 1,750 (1868)[1] 1,600 (1874)[2] |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 30 October 1862 21 May 1871 (destroyed by fire) 6 November 1874 (reopened)[2] |
| Architect | Gabriel Davioud |
| Website | |
| www | |
TheThéâtre de la Ville (French pronunciation:[teɑtʁd(ə)lavil]; "City Theatre") is one of the twotheatres built in the 19th century byGabriel Davioud at the request ofBaron Haussmann at thePlace du Châtelet,Paris, the other being theThéâtre du Châtelet. It is located at 2, Place du Châtelet in the4th arrondissement.
Included among its many previous names areThéâtre Lyrique,Théâtre des Nations, andThéâtre Sarah-Bernhardt.
The theatre, which until the fall ofNapoleon III in 1870 was officially known as the Théâtre Lyrique Impérial, was designed by thearchitectGabriel Davioud forBaron Haussmann between 1860 and 1862 for the opera company more commonly known simply as theThéâtre Lyrique. That company's earlier theatre, theThéâtre Historique on theBoulevard du Temple, where it had performed since 1851, was slated for demolition as part ofHaussmann's renovation of Paris.[9] During the company's initial period on the Place du Châtelet, it was under the direction ofLéon Carvalho and gave the premieres of Bizet'sLes pêcheurs de perles (1863), Berlioz'sLes Troyens à Carthage (1863), Gounod'sMireille (1864), Bizet'sLa jolie fille de Perth (1867), and Gounod'sRoméo et Juliette (1867). Carvalho also presented the first performance of Verdi's revised and expanded version ofMacbeth (in French) in 1865.[3]Jules Pasdeloup took over as director in 1868 and gave the first Paris performances of Wagner'sRienzi in 1869.[10] The Théâtre Lyrique on the Place du Châtelet was nearly completely destroyed by fire on 21 May 1871 during the recapturing of Paris by the forces of theAdolphe Thiers at the end ofParis Commune, and the Théâtre Lyrique opera company went bankrupt not long after.[11]
The theatre was rebuilt in 1874 on the same plans and was at first called the Théâtre Lyrique-Dramatique,[2] but was soon renamed to Théâtre Historique, which it retained until 1879, when it became Théâtre des Nations.[5][8]Victor Maurel produced a season of Italian opera at the Théâtre des Nations in 1884. It included on 1 February 1884 the first Paris performance of Massenet'sHérodiade, in the Italian version entitledErodiade. The cast includedFidès Devriès as Salomé, Guglielmina Tremelli as Hérodiade,Jean de Reszke as Jean, Maurel as Hérode,Édouard de Reszke as Phanuel, and Giuseppe Villani as Vitellius. In the tenth and final performance ofErodiade on 13 March three De Reszkes could be heard, asJosephine de Reszke sang Salomé.[12]
In 1887 theOpéra-Comique moved into the theatre after its previous home, the second Salle Favart, had been destroyed by fire. The name Théâtre Lyrique was restored, and the Opéra-Comique continued to perform in the theatre until 1898, when it returned to the newly built, third Salle Favart. During the company's sojourn on the Place du Châtelet, it presented several operas by Massenet, including the premieres ofEsclarmonde (1889) andSapho (1897), as well as the first Paris performances ofWerther (6 January 1893) andLa Navarraise (3 October 1895).[6][13]
In 1899 the theatre was renamed Théâtre Sarah-Bernhardt after the renowned actressSarah Bernhardt, who produced there from 1899 for nearly two decades. She opened with a revival of one of her great roles, Victorien Sardou'sLa Tosca. Other productions included a revival ofEdmond Rostand'sLa Samaritaine and the premiere of hisL'Aiglon in which she played Napoleon's son (theDuke of Reichstadt). Another well known breeches part was the title role ofMarcel Schwob's adaptation ofHamlet. After her death in 1923 the theatre continued under her son Maurice for several years, until his death in 1928.[7]
The theatre kept the name Sarah Bernhardt until theOccupation of France by the Germans in World War II,[7] when the name was changed to Théâtre de la Cité because of Bernhardt'sJewish ancestry, until 1947, when it reverted to Sarah-Bernhardt.[8][better source needed]
Diaghilev'sBallets Russes presented several premieres at the Théâtre Sarah-Bernhardt, including Stravinsky'sApollon musagète (12 June 1928) and the revisedRenard (21 May 1929; with choreography bySerge Lifar), and two ballets byProkoviev,Le pas d'acier (27 May 1927) andLe Fils prodigue (21 May 1929).[6][14]
The theatre was once again renamed as the Théâtre des Nations in 1957.[8]
The theatre first acquired the name Théâtre de la Ville in 1968.[6] Since the late 1970s the institution, under the direction ofJean Mercure (1968–1985) then ofGérard Violette (1985–2008), has been internationally recognised for itscontemporary dance productions and has showcased major choreographers such asPina Bausch,Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker,Jan Fabre,Sankai Juku,Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui,Merce Cunningham andCarolyn Carlson and Bella Lewitzky.
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