The 9 best rooms where to see a play in Paris

Do you enjoy the theatre and are passing through the City of Light? Here are the most beautiful rooms to see a play in Paris!

When we speak of France, we refer to a preponderant nation in different cultural disciplines. Music, cinema, painting... France was and still remains a European flagship for artistic creation, and, of course, theatre is an integral part of it. In the country of Molière, this demanding art is the fruit of centuries of history and tradition! It is of course in the capital, Paris, that we feel this influence and many French artists make this heritage live. By offering performances, whether contemporary or not, in many more prestigious halls than others!

It doesn't matter if you're an enlightened amateur of mythical pieces. Or looking for a show to relax, or even if you know nothing about it! Exactly, we have prepared a small guide that will allow you to find out where to see a play in Paris. Here is our selection of ten legendary, prestigious or popular rooms!

1. The North Window Theatre

What a funny name! Located on the boulevard de la Chapelle, this theatre was abandoned until 1974. The date it was taken over, renovated and reopened after six months of intense renovation. It is accessible and popular -the place has no numbered place and a single rate after 7pm.

The Northern Window Theatre is certainly one of the best places to see a play in Paris. In addition to the plays, you can attend music festivals, dance shows and you can even play famous singers!

2. La salle Richelieu

Where to see a play in Paris in a legendary establishment? In the Richelieu room, of course, which is part of the theatre of the Comédie-Française! This historic scene, embodiing French know-how in the field of art of the stage, was built at the end of the 18th century. And under the leadership of the famous architect Victor Louis, please!

This splendid Italian theatre is a magnificent building, located in the Royal Palace in the very chic 1st arrondissement of Paris. In the Richelieu room, the major works of the classical French repertoire such as Molière, Corneille or Racine. Moreover, the chair where Molière made his last breath still sits in the home of the public!

3. The Odeon Theatre

This is one of the most mythical theatres in the capital! The Odeon, located on the square of the same name in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, is a scenic temple that is part of the six national theatres. This Italian theatre (comprising a scene with cubic volumes and a semi-circle-shaped room) was inaugurated in 1782 already. And the building that welcomes it, built in the purest neoclassical style, was ranked among the historical monuments after the Second World War. In addition to its main room previously mentioned, the Odéon also has a 400-seat annex since 2005. It bears the name of the Berthiers Workshops, which were originally a warehouse of decors of the Paris Opera!

Today officially named “Odéon-Théâtre de l’Europe”, the Odéon is one of the best cultural sites where to see a play in Paris. Because it hosts contemporary works open to the world and the European continent, and it invites renowned stage designers. See beginner artists, offering productions accessible to all audiences!

4. The theatre of the Rond-Point

It is just a few steps from the most beautiful avenue in the world that you will find a legendary place to see a play in Paris. The theatre of the Rond-Point is, with its 760 seats, an ovni in the small world of scenic creation. It offers unusual, controversial or subversive contemporary works, articulating around three rooms. In the latter are plays of theatres, circus shows, one-man-show and even operas.

A complete programming, therefore, ideal for spending a whole evening since it is possible to eat in the adjoining restaurant! And even cultivate in the fabulous bookstore set up by the management: come and visit it!

5. Chaillot National Theatre

The theatre of Chaillot is, like that of Odéon, one of the six French national theatres where to see a play in Paris. Prestigious, it has three rooms totaling 1750 seats and receiving the public in a tedious setting, worthy of welcoming the most spectacular shows. It must be said that the place counts among its neighbours illustrious monuments: the Eiffel Tower is only a few hundred meters away! The place is also of major historical importance. At the heart of this former UN headquarters, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was signed in the large hall. Just that!

The Chaillot National Theatre has become, over time, almost exclusively devoted to contemporary dance. Interesting choreographic plays and fascinating stylistic studies can nevertheless be seen.

6. The theatre of the Folies Bergère

The Folies Bergère is one of the best venues to see a play in Paris. Opened in 1869, closed immediately after the Franco-Prussian war and then reopened under the Commune of Paris. You will have understood it, the place knew from its creation a moving story! The Folies Bergère is a room decorated with ornaments typical of Art Nouveau, surrounded since the beginning of a sulphurous aura. It hosts exotic shows and sensual dancers practicing the now famous "French cancan"! In fact, many famous stand-up artists performed there like Chaplin or Trenet.

Today, management is trying to take a turn to update shows with the taste of our time. By offering humorous events, choreographed plays and musicals in connection with the fascinating world of the cabaret.

7. The Trianon

Located on the Boulevard de Rochechouart, the Trianon is a splendid building whose architecture Belle Époque stands out with nearby buildings. This grandiose building is a high cultural venue of Parisian evenings, featuring a splendid ballroom, high ceilings and rooms with refined decoration. They host a variety of shows: circus, one-man-show and of course classical concerts and plays.

Renovated in 2009, it’s definitely one of the best places to see a play in Paris! And for cause, renowned directors come to present their bolder creations to each other.

8. The Mogador Theatre

With its 1600 seats spread over three levels, the Mogador Theatre was created in 1919, inspired by the prestigious Palladium in London. He was inaugurated in the presence of a certain Franklin D. Roosevelt, the future president of the United States! The place has been among the largest cultural spaces in Paris since its creation. Operates and magazines of successful cabaret have been followed over the decades.

Once you cross the majestic and richly decorated hall, the room is willingly ready for mythical performances. Here are the Cyrano de Bergerac embodied by Jacques Weber, for example. This high place of the Francophone theatre has welcomed the very chic Ceremony of Molières four times in the 2000s!

9. The Théâtre de la Contrescarpe

This theatre is dedicated to the presentation of so-called “Intellectual” pieces, that is, highlighting societal, philosophical and even historical subjects. This does not mean that it is reserved for an elite, on the contrary! Offering barely more than a hundred places, the shows are intimistic and lend to reflection around carefully chosen subjects. Given the immediate environment of the theatre (in the heart of the Latin Quarter and close to the Pantheon, the Sorbonne and the Jardin du Luxembourg), how could it have been otherwise?

Resolutely turned to contemporary works, he made a great contribution to the young talents of the stage by regularly welcoming creative and innovative works. But also concerts where the public will appreciate the particularly well-kept acoustics and the feeling of exclusivity.