It is never easy to regularly maintain this shows section because some of them do not stay on the bill long enough for me to find the time to see them and tell you about them before the performances end. I have therefore decided to sometimes tell you about certain shows in advance and add the reviews later, once I have seen them.
I have still managed to gather a small selection of shows for you in this article to see right now, with a great variety of themes as usual: humor, singing, magic, musicals, jazz, opera…
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Table of Contents
Ariadne auf Naxos by Richard Strauss
I really like going to see operas, but it seems like it had been several years since I last had the opportunity to see one on stage. It was a friend of my mom’s, an opera fan, who introduced me to this art when I was a teenager.
What a pleasure, then, to find myself in the magnificent hall of the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées (see my article on this beautiful theater by clicking the link) to see this resolutely modern adaptation (conducted by Jérémie Rhorer and directed by Katie Mitchell) of the opera created by Richard Strauss in 1912, Ariadne auf Naxos.
Ariadne auf Naxos is an entanglement of an opera within an opera, a story-within-a-story where quarrels between tenor and soprano, the alienation of artists to the powers of money, and the forced mutation of an ancient art under the pressure of modernity are played out.
The direction is sassy and quirky (the male and female roles are mixed), the cast is sparkling, the sets are ingenious, and the music is sublime, resulting in a very beautiful stage performance to see before March 30 for fans of the genre.
Ariadne auf Naxos by Richard Strauss Opera sung in German, with French and English subtitles Duration: 2h35 with intermission From March 21 to 30, 2019 Théâtre des Champs-Elysées 15 Avenue Montaigne, 75008 Paris Prices: from €5 (limited visibility) to €145 / great deal youth rate - 26 years old €20
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Les Soulmates
I had been meaning to see this show for a while, but I always had last-minute obligations that prevented me from doing so. Luckily, I managed to go there last Saturday to see this energetic female quintet on stage, who sing a cappella versions of great international song standards and current pop hits.
It is a show full of humor and energy that will put a smile on your face, with a touch of madness and a contagious passion for singing.
If you want to start your Saturday evening on a high note, I highly recommend going to see this humorous musical show at the Théâtre du Marais.
Les Soulmates every Sunday at 5:30 PM until June 30, 2019 + Friday, June 14 at 8:00 PM Théâtre du Marais 37 rue Volta 75003 Paris Prices: from €14
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Luc Langevin, “Maintenant Demain”
Strange coincidence (but Luc Langevin would certainly tell me that it’s a form of destiny), but the first time I saw this magician from Quebec on stage was in February 2016 at the Casino de Paris. 3 years later, I was delighted to find the illusionist again in the setting of this beautiful Parisian performance venue.
The magician is therefore returning to the stage in France with a new show titled “Maintenant Demain” (Now Tomorrow). Perhaps more than his spectacular tricks, what I prefer in Langevin’s appearances is all the poetry he infuses into his show, like a storyteller.
He also has a lot of humor and a contagious passion for science, magic, and the unexplained, which he knows how to transmit to the public particularly well. It’s hard to believe when you see him that he was shy as a child, he is so much in his element on stage!
If you like modern-day magicians, the Quebec accent, and you don’t know Langevin, I encourage you to go discover him before March 31 at the Casino de Paris!
Luc Langevin From March 21 to 31, 2019, on tour in France until May 2019 Casino de Paris 16 rue de Clichy 75009 Paris Prices: from €25
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Guys and Dolls
For the reopening of the Théâtre Marigny after 5 years of renovation, the venue is presenting for the first time in France a new production of Guys and Dolls by Stephen Mear, a masterpiece of American musical comedy.
I admit that despite my love for musicals, I didn’t know this one at all… For info, Guys and Dolls was created on Broadway in 1950 and it was a great critical and popular success with 1,200 performances and five Tony Awards in 1951. The play was also adapted into a film in 1955 by director Joseph L. Mankiewicz with Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, Jean Simmons, and Vivian Blaine in the cast.
The story is built on the confrontation of two worlds: that of New York gangsters and that of the pure souls of the young missionaries of Save-a-Soul (the equivalent of the Salvation Army). The plot revolves around this archetype, with a stupid bet where Nathan Detroit (a gambling den owner) challenges Sky Masterson (an inveterate gambler) to seduce one of the young girls from the mission band and take her to dinner in Havana.
On stage, we find Ria Jones (42nd Street), Clare Halse (Singin’ in the Rain), Christopher Howell, and Matthew Goodgame, surrounded by a cast of 16 exceptional actor-singer-dancers, all accompanied by a live orchestra. Personally, I had a lot of fun during this show; it’s a real American-style show (it is actually performed in English with French subtitles), the costumes are superb, the performers are extremely talented and not particularly young, which is rather pleasant and proves that you can do musicals at any age.
There is also a lot of humor and irony in this play; in short, it’s a must-see for fans of the genre!
Guys and Dolls
Until Saturday, July 27, 2019
Evenings Tuesday to Saturday at 8:00 PM and matinees at 3:00 PM on Saturdays and 4:00 PM on Sundays
Prices: from €36
Théâtre Marigny
Carré Marigny, 75008 Paris_
Nicolas Folmer, So Miles
You may have already noticed, but I really like Jazz. This weekend I am therefore looking forward to seeing Nicolas Folmer’s concert at the Sunset, who is one of the rare musicians to have been produced by Teo Macero, the legendary and historical producer of Miles Davis.
This concert is not just another tribute to Miles Davis because Nicolas Folmer offers to give us his own vision by composing a new repertoire around the question: “How would Miles himself have reinterpreted his works today?”.
Nicolas Folmer, So Miles
Friday the 29th at 9:30 PM and Saturday, March 30, 2019, at 7:00 PM and 9:30 PM / Saturday, June 15, 2019
at 9:00 PM
Sunset Sunside Jazz Club
60 rue des Lombards 75001 Paris
Price: €28
