The Théâtre Montparnasse is a theatre at 31 rue de la Gaîté in the 14th arrondissement of Paris. One of the hotels that FedEx uses for the flight crew is in the Montparnasse area, so Mr. Swede brought me these photos from his trip last week.
The present structure was built in 1886 on a site that had been dedicated to theatre since 1817. Architect Charles Peigniet, who helped to create of the pedestal for the Statue of Liberty in New York, designed the building.
As a general rule in Paris the architectural detail on buildings is on the second floor or higher. Such is the case here. You always have to look up. Taking photos can be a bit of a challenge at times because they appear slanted.
This grotesque on the building corner representing comedy doesn't look so funny to me. From 1930 to 1943, Gaston Baty directed the theatre, and as a result, it became known as the Théâtre Montparnasse-Gaston Baty. From 1944 to 1964, actress Margaret Jamois directed the theatre.
In 1965, Lars Schmidt bought the theatre and appointed Jerome Hullot artistic director. Schmidt and Hullot introduced many English talents to the French stage, including such author Noël Coward. In 1984, Schmidt retired, and Myriam Colombi succeeded him, renovating the theatre and adding a bar-restaurant. The current capacity of the main theatre is 715 seats.
The Théâtre Montparnasse-Gaston Baty was designated a French historic monument on April 3, 1984.
Summer
Photos: Mr. Swede
