Performing arts in Paris

From risqué frock-lifting to intense tragic drama to sumptuous ballet, Paris does the classics but is also a hotbed of creativity and experimentation. Avant-garde performances enrich the mainstream and so there’s a feast on offer for anyone, who like the Parisians, takes performance seriously.

Cabaret & circus

Roll up, roll up for the leggy lovelies whose synchronised, topless dancing twangs to the rhythm of the cancan. The year the Eiffel Tower raised its final girders (1889), the Moulin Rouge was raising something of its own: skirts. The risqué, frock-lifting dance called quadrille réaliste (but later dubbed the can-can) became such a trademark that 120 years later, busty babes are still slinking across the cabaret stages of Paris. These days, cabaret is an all-evening, smart-dress extravaganza, complete with pre-show meal and champagne. It may be touristy and pricey, but it’s a fine spectacle.

Circus

As for circus, Paris laps it up, from traditional ringmaster acts to avant-garde acrobatics and rib-tickling clowns.

See all cabaret & circus venues in Paris

Comedy

If the get-your-glitz-out-for-the-boys genre isn't your cup of tea, a Gallic giggle can be had in old-fashioned café-théâtres, where songs and sketches accompany dinner and a bottle of plonk. On the stand-up front, French comic Jamel Debbouze has opened Le Comedy Club – a launch pad for new French stand-up comics and a spinoff from his TV show Le Jamel Comedy Club.

See all comedy venues in Paris

Dance

Home to a thriving dance scene, Paris has a rich programme of major international companies and home-grown talent. In 2009, the Théâtre de la Ville and Théâtre National de Chaillot will see the return of such luminaries as Pina Bausch and William Forsythe, and there’s no shortage of ballet productions at the Théâtre du Châtelet and Palais Garnier.

Contemporary & experimental

Outside the town centre is the Centre National de la Danse in Pantin, the HQ for over 600 regional companies, showing experimental new works.

See all dance venues in Paris

Theatre

Money may be tight, but the show goes on: there’s no shortage of absurd, politically challenging drama in Paris. While smaller companies and theatres struggle to make ends meet, larger troupes and playhouses continue to uphold the French theatrical tradition as best they can.

Classical theatre

The Comédie Française, on the Right Bank, and the Théâtre de la Huchette, on the Left, offer repertoires that have defined French drama. Ionesco’s absurdist La Cantatrice Chauve was premiered at the Huchette in 1950, for instance, and is still going strong after over 16,000 performances. Catch some of the impressive French classical repertoire at the Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, run by Brit-born Peter Brook.

Musicals

Blockbuster musicals have been in vogue and this year brings the first French version of Grease to the Théâtre Comédia – ‘Allez Allez Grease Lightning’.

Alternative theatre

For something more unconventional, why not pop along to one of Paris’s more eccentric venues? A handful of diehards are addressing the industry’s financial shortcomings by turning anything they can get their hands on into theatres (disused factories, squats, washhouses and even psychiatric hospitals). The bastion of alternative theatre in the north is the Lavoir Moderne Parisien (35 rue Léon, 18th, 01.42.52.09.14, www.rueleon.net), a converted washhouse whose shows tackle the recurring themes of immigration and identity. The Point Ephémère and its gargantuan older brother, Mains d’Oeuvres, are cool urban arts centres (in former warehouses) that stage multidisciplinary performances by some of the most interesting troupes in town.

Shows in English

Catching a play in English in Paris isn’t as difficult as you might think. Productions in English, German, Spanish and Italian come to the Théâtre de l’Odéon, Théâtre des Bouffes du Nord, Théâtre de la Cité Internationale, MC93 Bobigny and the versatile stage at the Centre Pompidou.

See all theatres in Paris

Tickets & information

L’Officiel des Spectacles and Pariscope show weekly listings. Tickets can be bought at the theatres, from Fnac or Virgin Megastore or online at www.theatreonline.com. Check out www.theatresprives.com for half-price tickets to theatre performances during the first week of a new show.

For coverage of dance events, look out for two monthlies: La Terrasse (distributed free at major dance venues) and the glossy Danser.

Cheap seats

Half-price theatre tickets for performances the same day are sold at the Kiosque de la Madeleine (15 pl de la Madeleine, 8th, open 12.30-8pm Tue-Sat, 12.30-4pm Sun) and the Kiosque Montparnasse (parvis de la Gare Montparnasse, 15th, open 12.30-8pm Tue-Sat, 12.30-4pm Sun).

Festivals & events

Dance by the Seine: the amphitheatres of the Seine-side Jardin Tino Rossi (5th) fill up with salsa, rock, tango, Irish, hip hop and just about any other dance form you can think of. Informal classes are held around 7pm or 8pm, then the bal begins (May to September).

Le Printemps des Rues: this annual two-day free street-theatre festival has an experimental vibe (late May or early June).

Miss Guinguette: a contest to find the light-footed queen of the openair dancehall scene at this river island venue (14 July).

Foire St-Germain: St-Germain-des-Prés lets its hair down for a month of concerts, theatre and workshops (June, July).

Etés de la Danse: an international festival featuring both classical and contemporary dance (early/late July).

Paris quartier d’été: with 60,000 visitors in 2008, this popular festival features eclectic programmes and free outdoor performances in Paris and its outskirts. Public rehearsals and talks give audiences the chance to meet prestigious international choreographers (mid July-mid Aug).

Festival d’Automne: a major annual festival of challenging contemporary theatre, dance and modern opera, intent on bringing non-Western culture into the French consciousness. ‘Autumn Festival’ is a bit of a misnomer for this event, as some exhibitions run over the new year into January (mid Sept-late Dec).

See all festivals & events in Paris

Top tips

Get the joke: if French isn’t your forte, head for veteran English-language venue Laughing Matters (105 rue du Fbg-du-Temple, 10th, 01.53.19.98.88, www.anythingmatters.com), the sole provider of comedy in English. Promoter Karel Beer attracts performers from across the Channel, the US and Australia, and also recently added concerts to his repertoire.

Put your dancing shoes on: for shoes and equipment, Sansha (52 rue de Clichy, 9th, 01.45.26.01.38, www.sansha.com) has a good reputation, and Repetto (22 rue de la Paix, 2nd, 01.44.71.83.06, www.repetto.com) supplies the Opéra with pointes and slippers; Menkes (12 rue Rambuteau, 3rd, 01.40.27.91.81, www.menkes.es) sells serious flamenco gear as well as outsize glam-rock boots.

Theatre Commune: in the Bois de Vincennes, a special theatre bus takes you to the Cartoucherie, a factory remade as a theatre commune that’s home to five innovative companies, including Ariane Mnouchkine’s award-winning Théâtre du Soleil.

Our listings

While every effort and care has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in this guide, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for any errors it may contain. Before you go out of your way, we strongly advise you to phone ahead and check the particulars.