Theatre Des Varietes

the long version

The Théâtre des Variétés, built in 1807 on the boulevard Montmartre, is the oldest theatre building still to be used in Paris. By tracing the vicissitudes of the Variétés in its early years we hope to fill in some of the colorful picture of its historical context, showing, through this representative example, how the alternative theatre was shaped and developed in its formative years until finally it settled along the northern boulevards and drew from this location the title -- discredited today -- of théâtre de boulevard. The material is divided between the continuous narrative of the introduction and the more detailed or technical commentary accompanying the illustrations. - Foreword.