Description of the attraction
The Châtelet Theater is located on the square, which is called exactly the same - Châtelet. The history of the name is not too much connected with art: the theater was built in 1862 on the site of a former prison. At first, it was called the Imperial Theater Circus, where they put something in between a performance and a circus performance.
Châtelet has the largest auditorium in Paris with 2,300 seats. It is believed, however, that the theater can hold up to 3,400 spectators during a full house. The architect Gabriel Davout built it on a rare scale: the stage measures 24 by 35 meters, three-storey buildings could freely fit under it and above it. In 1886, during the extravaganza performance "Cinderella", 676 artists appeared on the stage at the same time. Due to the high glass dome, the acoustics are excellent here.
At the Châtelet Theater, Chaliapin sang, here Vaslav Nijinsky performed as a soloist in The Afternoon of a Faun, Sergei Diaghilev's Russian Ballet and the famous ballerina Anna Pavlova performed here for the first time. In the summer of 1917, a young and still little-known Pablo Picasso often visited the theater: he fell in love with the Russian ballerina Olga Khokhlova, who was dancing in the scandalous ballet Parade, and she soon became the artist's wife. Guillaume Apollinaire, describing the production of "Parade", was the first to use the word "surrealism". Here, in Chatelet, Nikolai Gumilyov, in collaboration with Diaghilev, prepared for staging a ballet on his own libretto - it did not work, that year it was restless in Europe, and Russia and the execution were waiting for Gumilyov.
The Châtelet Theater has always been avant-garde and bold. Its unusual history and unique capabilities have from time to time brought a distinct adventure and even fantastic flavor to the repertoire. In 1905, one of the founders of cinema, Georges Melies, staged an experimental play "Journey to the Moon" here. In the 19th century, Jules Verne was staged here, and in the 21st century - David Cronenberg's classic fantasy thriller The Fly. And Placido Domingo himself was behind the conductor's stand.
The majestic building of the Châtelet Theater is in itself worth seeing, there are always a lot of tourists here. But the main thing in the theater, of course, is the magnificent classical music concerts that make up the bulk of the program.
