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The performing arts scene in Paris runs the gamut from highbrow to lowbrow, cheap (or even free) to break-the-bank expensive. Venues are indoors and outdoors, opulent or spartan, and dress codes vary accordingly. Regardless of the performance you choose, it's probably unlike anything you've seen before. Parisians have an audacious sense of artistic adventure and a stunning eye for scene and staging. An added bonus in this city of classic beauty is that many of the venues themselves—from the opulent interiors of the Opéra Garnier and the Opéra Royal de Versailles to the Art Deco splendor of the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées—are a feast for the eyes.
One thing that sets Paris apart in the arts world is the active participation of the Ministry of Culture, which sponsors numerous concert halls and theaters, like the Comédie Française, that tend to present less commercial, though artistically captivating, productions. Other venues with broader appeal are known for sold-out shows and decade-long runs.
Most performances are in French, although you can find English theater productions. English-language movies are often presented undubbed, with subtitles. Of course, you don't need to speak the language to enjoy opera, classical music, dance, or the circus.
Founded in 1680, the Comédie Française is the most hallowed institution in French theater. It specializes in splendid classical French plays by the likes of Racine, Molière, and Marivaux. Buy tickets at the box office, by telephone, or online. If the theater is sold out, the Salle Richelieu offers steeply discounted last-minute tickets an hour before each performance.
One of Paris's most sumptuous theaters features musicals and other productions with a pronounced popular appeal (think The Lion King or Holiday on Ice). Many of the shows here are subtitled in English, thanks to Theatre in Paris.
This spot offers an opportunity to experience a particularly Parisian form of entertainment, the café-théâtre—part satire, part variety revue—jazzed up with slapstick humor and performed in a café salon. You'll need a good grasp of French slang and current events to keep up with the jokes. There's no reserved seating; doors open 15 minutes before showtime.
Once a favorite of the immortal Serge Gainsbourg, Casino de Paris has a horseshoe balcony and a cramped but cozy music-hall feel, and it presents everything from performances by touring musicals to Lorde and Belle & Sebastian concerts. This is where Josephine Baker performed in the early '30s with her leopard, Chiquita.
Next door to the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the Comédie des Champs-Élysées offers intriguing productions in its small theater.
The Rue de la Gaîté has been a Left Bank entertainment hub since the late 18th century. Once dotted with dance halls and cabarets, this street is still home to a multitude of lively bars and several historic theaters that feature well-known actors and offer a selection of dramas, musicals, and concerts. Check out the decorative La Comédie Italienne at No. 19, specializing in original plays and Carlos Goldoni Italian classics. All performances are in French. The theater, with whimsical trompe l'oeil paintings, can also be rented for private events.
This theater stages classics by Camus and Baudelaire, as well as occasional shows for children. Performances are in French, but if your language skills are up to it, this is the perfect place to appreciate a classic production.
This tiny Rive Gauche venue has been staging the titanic Romanian-French writer Ionesco's The Bald Soprano and The Lesson since 1957: before the COVID-19 pandemic, it held the world record for a nonstop theater run with 19,000 performances viewed by more than 2.5 million people. You can see both shows on the same day for €40; Wednesday shows have English subtitles. Other productions are also mounted, and single tickets cost €28.
Belle Époque superstar Sarah Bernhardt, who directed and performed at this beautiful theater from 1893 to 1899, put the Théâtre de la Renaissance on the map. Big French stars often perform here. Note that the theater is on the second floor, and there's no elevator.
Part of the Théâtre de la Ville, Théâtre des Abbesses is a 400-seat venue in Montmartre. It features lesser-known theater acts, musicians, and up-and-coming choreographers, who often make it onto the program in the Théâtre de la Ville the following year.
Welcome to the wonderfully atmospheric, slightly decrepit home of Peter Brook. The renowned British director regularly delights with his quirky experimental productions in French and, sometimes, English.
Located in the former residence of Cardinal Richelieu, this plush, 716-seat, Italian-style theater is bedecked in gold and purple. It specializes in lighter fare, like comedies and theatrical productions aimed at the under-12 set.
Housed in an imposing neoclassical building overlooking the Eiffel Tower, Théâtre National de Chaillot has a trio of venues and a total of 1,600 seats. It's dedicated to experimental, world, and avant-garde drama, dance, and music, or a mix of all three. Major names in dance—like the Ballet Royal de Suède and William Forsythe's company—visit regularly. There are programs for children, too.
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