Théâtre Déjazet
Encyclopedia
The Théâtre Dejazet is a theatre on the boulevard du Temple
(popularly known as the 'boulevard du crime
’) in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris
. It was originally founded in 1770 by Comte d'Artois who later was crowned Charles X, but it was then closed down and not reopened until 1851. At that time it became a café-concert
called the Folies-Mayer, on the site of a former jeu de paume
(tennis court). It was converted into the Folies-Concertantes in 1853, and reopened as the Folies-Nouvelles on 21 October 1854.
Under the direction of the operetta composer Hervé
from 1854 to 1856, it became a theatre for one-act spectacles-concerts with premieres of Hervé's La perle de l'Alsace (1854), Un compositeur toqué (1854), La fine fleur de l'Andalousie (1854), Agamemnon, ou Le chameau à deux bosses (1856), and Vadé au cabaret (1856).
One of Jacques Offenbach
's first works, the anthropophagie musicale Oyayaye, ou La reine des îles was also performed there (1855), and two opérettes, Delibes
's Deux sous de charbon (1856), and Lecocq's Huis-Clos (1859). The mime Paul Legrand
also regularly performed there between 1853 and 1859. The Folies-Nouvelles closed on 1 September 1859.
It reopened with the name Théâtre Déjazet on 27 September 1859 under the direction of the actress Virginie Déjazet
. She managed it with her son Joseph Eugène Dejazet, until 1870. The theatre closed on 1 June 1870, becoming the Folies-Nouvelles again in 1871 and the Théâtre Déjazet in 1872. It was known as the Troisième Théâtre Français from 1876 to 1880, when it reverted to Folies-Nouvelles for two months, before finally becoming the Théâtre Déjazet again on 17 September 1880.
The present director of the theatre is Jean Bouquin.
Boulevard du Temple
The Boulevard du Temple is a thoroughfare in Paris that separates the 3rd arrondissement from the 11th. It runs from the Place de la République to the Place Pasdeloup, and its name refers to the nearby Knights Templars' Temple where they established their Paris priory.-History:The Boulevard du...
(popularly known as the 'boulevard du crime
Boulevard du Crime
The Boulevard du Crime was the nickname given in the 19th century to the Boulevard du Temple in Paris because of the many crime melodramas that were shown every night in its many theaters. It is notorious in French history for having lost so many theatres during the rebuilding of Paris by Baron...
’) in the 3rd arrondissement of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. It was originally founded in 1770 by Comte d'Artois who later was crowned Charles X, but it was then closed down and not reopened until 1851. At that time it became a café-concert
Café-chantant
Café chantant is a type of musical establishment associated with the belle époque in France. Although there is much overlap of definition with cabaret, music hall, vaudeville, etc. the café chantant was originally an outdoor café where small groups of performers performed popular music for the...
called the Folies-Mayer, on the site of a former jeu de paume
Jeu de paume
Jeu de paume is a ball-and-court game that originated in France. It was an indoor precursor of tennis played without racquets, though these were eventually introduced. It is a former Olympic sport, and has the oldest ongoing annual world championship in sport, first established over 250 years ago...
(tennis court). It was converted into the Folies-Concertantes in 1853, and reopened as the Folies-Nouvelles on 21 October 1854.
Under the direction of the operetta composer 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...
from 1854 to 1856, it became a theatre for one-act spectacles-concerts with premieres of Hervé's La perle de l'Alsace (1854), Un compositeur toqué (1854), La fine fleur de l'Andalousie (1854), Agamemnon, ou Le chameau à deux bosses (1856), and Vadé au cabaret (1856).
One 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 first works, the anthropophagie musicale Oyayaye, ou La reine des îles was also performed there (1855), and two opérettes, Delibes
Léo Delibes
Clément Philibert Léo Delibes was a French composer of ballets, operas, and other works for the stage...
's Deux sous de charbon (1856), and Lecocq's Huis-Clos (1859). The mime Paul Legrand
Paul Legrand
Paul Legrand , born Charles-Dominique-Martin Legrand, was a highly regarded and influential French mime who turned the Pierrot of his predecessor, Jean-Gaspard Deburau, into the tearful, sentimental character that is most familiar to post-nineteenth-century admirers of the figure...
also regularly performed there between 1853 and 1859. The Folies-Nouvelles closed on 1 September 1859.
It reopened with the name Théâtre Déjazet on 27 September 1859 under the direction of the actress Virginie Déjazet
Virginie Déjazet
Pauline Virginie Déjazet was a French actress.She was born in Paris, and made her first appearance on the stage at the age of five...
. She managed it with her son Joseph Eugène Dejazet, until 1870. The theatre closed on 1 June 1870, becoming the Folies-Nouvelles again in 1871 and the Théâtre Déjazet in 1872. It was known as the Troisième Théâtre Français from 1876 to 1880, when it reverted to Folies-Nouvelles for two months, before finally becoming the Théâtre Déjazet again on 17 September 1880.
The present director of the theatre is Jean Bouquin.