Boulevard theatre (aesthetic)
Boulevard theatre is a theatrical aesthetic that emerged from the boulevards of Paris' old city.[1][2]
Origin[]
Starting from the second half of the 18th century, popular and bourgeois theatre alike took up residence on the boulevard du Temple, then nicknamed 'boulevard du Crime' due to the many melodramas and murder stories shown there. In addition to the many attractions on display there – fireworks, pantomime, acrobats, etc. – a so-called 'boulevard' repertoire emerged separate from upper-class theatre. Then, starting from the Second French Empire, vaudeville theatre and arrived on the scene.
Style[]
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Boulevard theatre consists mostly of comedies but also dramas. In general, the characters are simply drawn, ordinary or easily understandable. There is a strong tendency to avoid touchy subjects, such as politics and religion. The style is not designed to challenge preconceived ideas or offend. Examples include such sex comedies as La Cage aux Folles and Boeing Boeing.
Feydeau[]
Georges Feydeau, most active between 1890 and 1920, often produced up to the 21st century, is a boulevard theatre playwright whose satiric plays often take aim at adulterers and libertines in a manner not generally seen in British theatre of the same era.
List of playwrights[]
- Marcel Achard
- Jean Anouilh
- Émile Augier
- Marcel Aymé
- Pierre Barillet
- Henry Bataille
- Henry Becque
- Tristan Bernard
- Henri Bernstein
- Paul Bilhaud
- Alexandre Bisson
- Édouard Bourdet
- Alexandre Breffort
- Marc Camoletti
- Isabelle Candelier
- Alfred Capus
- Gaston Arman de Caillavet
- Henri Chivot
- Jean Cocteau
- Georges Courteline
- Henry de Gorsse
- Lucien Descaves
- Jacques Deval
- Maurice Donnay
- Alexandre Dumas, fils
- Georges Feydeau
- Robert de Flers
- Edmond Gondinet
- Sacha Guitry
- Thomas-Simon Gueullette
- Maurice Hennequin
- Albert Husson
- Eugène Labiche
- Henri Lavedan
- Félicien Marceau
- Maurice Ordonneau
- Marcel Pagnol
- René Charles Guilbert de Pixérécourt
- Jean Poiret
- Georges de Porto-Riche
- Claude-André Puget
- Jules Romain
- Edmond Rostand
- André Roussin
- Armand Salacrou
- Victorien Sardou
- Jean Sarment
- Eugène Scribe
- Francis Veber
- Pierre Veber
- Louis Verneuil
- Pierre Wolff
- Maurice Yvain
References[]
- ^ Barrot, Olivier; Chirat, Raymond. Ciel, mon mari ! Le théâtre de boulevard. Paris: Découvertes Gallimard, N° 359, 1998. ISBN 2070533824
- ^ Brunet, Brigitte. "Le Théâtre de Boulevard". French Studies 59: 417–418, July 2005
- Theatrical genres
- Theatre in Paris
- Culture of Paris
- History of Paris
- Street theatre