Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Théâtre des Folies Bergère, located 32 rue Richer in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, was inaugurated on 2 May 1869 under the leadership of Louis Montrouge. Originally a bedding department store transformed into a showroom, it first adopted the name Folies Treviso before becoming the Folies Bergère, with reference to the madness (an 18th century entertainment houses) and the nearby Bergère street. Designed as a coffee show, it allows the public to drink and smoke during performances, mixing operettas, ballets and songs. The room, with a capacity of 1,200 seats, is criticized for its acoustics but praised for its elegance and modern stage design, as evidenced by the Revue et gazette musicale de Paris in May 1869.

In 1871, Léon Sari transformed the establishment by adding a winter garden, typical of music halls where spectators travel freely. The facade was rebuilt in 1905 in an Art Nouveau style by Niermans, then completely renovated in 1926 by Maurice Pico, who gave it its current Art Deco appearance, marked by a golden bas-relief depicting dancer Lila Nikolska. Under the direction of Édouard Marchand (from 1886 on), the theatre invented the music-hall magazine with a big show and engaged figures like the American dancer Loïe Fuller. In 1912, he crossed a bold course with the first appearance of a woman entirely naked on stage.

From 1918 to 1966, Paul Derval directed the Folies Bergère and made it a cabaret temple, restructuring the hall in 1928 and closing free movement with the walker. He collaborated with artists such as Josephine Baker, who returned from New York in 1936 for the magazine En Super Folies, and highlighted striking visual elements, such as feathered costumes. In 1974, Hélène Martini, former nude model of the Folies and survivor of the concentration camps, took over after Antonia Derval. The theatre changed its hands in 2011 (purchased by Lagardère) and 2020 (aborted sale), while remaining a cultural symbol, as evidenced by the tribute to Charlie Hebdo in 2018.

The architecture of the Bergère Folies reflects its evolution: initially designed by Plumeret in an eclectic style from the end of the Second Empire, the building is transformed into an Art Deco building, classified as a historical monument since 1990 for its facade, hall and walkway. The place also inspires literature (Bel-Ami de Maupassant, Nana de Zola), painting (Un bar aux Folies Bergère de Manet) and cinema, while welcoming personalities such as Carmen Tórtola Valencia or Jacqueline Schalley, elected most beautiful woman of France in 1926. His legacy persisted through mythical journals (Folies sur Folies in 1922, J-aime à la Folie in 1975) and his role in the Parisian collective imagination.

The Folies Bergère embody the audacity and modernity of Parisian shows, from café-concert to music-hall and then cabaret. Their history crossed with social events (liberation of the female body, world wars) and artistic (avant-gardes, international stars) makes it a mirror of the cultural transformations of France, from the 19th century to the present. The place, always active, remains associated with the festive and subversive spirit of Montmartre and Parisian nights.

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