Tourist Information
In 1714, when the High Society of Paris was seen at the Comédie Française and the Opera, small comedy plays were the preferred form of entertainment of the less well-off. Musicians, puppeteers and comedy singers would parody the great tragic classics and rewrite the text of the great operas. On 26 December 1714, Catherine Baron and Gautier de Saint-Edme set up this company unlike any other in the Théâtre de la Foire Saint-Germain, calling it Opéra Comique. But the company had a difficult start. The director Jean Monet invited the famous author Charles-Simon Favart. By giving the theatre its credentials, Favart made it a worthy competitor for the other theatres in the city. In 1783, a new building was constructed for the Opéra Comique. That would be its final location, the one it still occupies today. The Théâtre de l'Opéra Comique continues to put up manyperformances. Its repertoire includes opera and also plays from the Baroque period to modern times. Go to Place Bloieldieu in the 2nd district of Paris to see a performance at the Opéra Comique. http://www.opera-comique.com/
