The Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens in the 2nd arrondissement is historically one of the most significant Parisian stages and the birthplace of operetta as an independent genre. Founded in 1855 personally by Jacques Offenbach, originally on the Champs-Élysées as a summer stage, the company moved in 1856 to the present house on Rue Monsigny. Here Offenbach's groundbreaking one-act works were premiered, including Les Deux Aveugles (1855), and later the full-length masterpieces Orphée aux Enfers (1858) and La Belle Hélène (1864). The intimate house with around 650 seats retains to this day its characteristic narrow stage and richly decorated Rococo auditorium. After Offenbach's death and through the twentieth century, the house was mainly a boulevard stage for comedies and boulevard classics; Louis Jouvet directed here in the 1930s. Since the 2000s the house has rediscovered its musical tradition and regularly produces Offenbach and other small-format operettas.
Jacques Offenbach founded and directed this house personally — he premiered over 25 operettas here himself, a productive output that laid the foundation of modern music theatre.
At a glance
- Type
- Theatre
- Location
- Paris, France
- Address
- 4 Rue Monsigny, 75002
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