Theatre le Ranelagh in Paris
The Theatre Ranelagh is located close to the Jardins du Ranelagh which is a lovely park in Paris, and although it is a small theatre it retains its original character hosting many different performances from opera, musicals and concerts.
A bit of history
Originally where this theatre in Paris is now located, there was a stately home that was purchased by a banker and in 1747 this castle was named the Chateau Boulainvilliers after the Marquis de Boulainvilliers.
This castle in Paris was then passed to his son who leased the property to Alexandre Joseph Poupliniere who was a great music lover and used to be a great host to noted people such as musicians, sculptors and writers and he obtained permission to have a music room come theatre room added.
But when Alexandre Poupliniere died the next tenant was the Duke of Penthievre, but he abandoned the music room come theatre and then with the French Revolution and the death of the Duke, the castle remained empty for many years.
It was then late in the 19th century that the castle and land was sold off and parts of it were purchased by Louis Mors in 1890, who was also passionate about music, and just before the start of the 1900s he also decided to construct a music hall, in almost the exact same location as the original ancient theatre.
Louis Mors entrusted the work to the architect and designer Alban Chambon who had become a specialist in the construction of theatres and on the front of the door to the theatre it states For Me and My Friends, but there is very little documentation as to why he chose this architect or even who his friends were.
Yet the first performance was conducted in the April of 1900 and several comic operas were performed in 1910, but when Louis Mors died in 1917 the theatre was closed and the mansion house was destroyed to make room for new buildings, even though for some reason the theatre was saved this fate.
In 1931 this music hall in Paris was transformed and enlarged and became a cinema as well as a theatre and the place was diverse, even holding exhibitions, then at one point even became a circus theatre.
About Theatre Ranelagh today
The current room only contains 300 traditional red covered seats, yet has retained its original character with the carved oak panelling that adorns the orchestra area and the balconies, which is topped by a painted and decorated coffered ceiling.
And because of its architectural appeal, it was put onto the supplementary list of historical monuments in Paris back in 1977, yet the foyer itself is like being in a living room with a piano, bar, approximately 80 seats and a mezzanine.
Today, the Theatre Ranelagh hosts mainly musical and theatrical performances and a couple of the past ones include Macbeth and The Magic Flute but there are a wide variety of concerts, operas and musicals to choose from throughout the year.
And within the foyer the bar offers a wide variety of hot and cold drinks along with snacks such as cheese platters and charcuterie that range in cost from €9 upwards, which can be consumed prior or during the intermission.
Yet this venue is also able to accommodate corporate and private functions along with being fully privatised for special events such as fashion shows, photo shoots, conferences and more with famous names such as Chanel, Dior, Fuji and Alain Ducasse having organised functions here.
Access to Theatre le Ranelagh
You can of course book your tickets in advance via telephone or online, however, the ticket office does open 45 minutes before the show starts, if you decide that you want to see a show on the spur of the moment, although, as you can no doubt appreciate, being a small theatre, seats may not be available.
The doors to the actual theatre open 30 minutes prior to the start of a show, which is also when the bar opens and your seat number along with the show time are printed on your ticket. However, we would like to point out that unfortunately there are no refunds or exchanges possible if you have booked your tickets in advance.
When it comes to getting to the Theatre Le Ranelagh, this is located in the 16th Arrondissement by the Jardins du Ranelagh gardens and close to the Musee Marmottan Monet, which is the art museum in Paris dedicated to Claude Monet and the collections of the late Paul Marmottan.
There are numerous options for the public transport in Paris that will get you close by and the nearest Metro station is called La Muette via line 9, or you can utilise the Passy stop via line 6. However, if travelling on the RER trains you would need line C and the nearest train stations for this service are either Boulainvilliers or the Maison de la Radio.
And if you are travelling from the Gare de l’Est train station in Paris by bus to the theatre you would need number 32, whereas from the Hotel de Ville you would need either number 70 or 72, but other buses that will get you close by include the numbers 22 and 52.
