OPERA AND THEATER IN PARIS
Opera de la Bastille, pi. de la Bastille, 12eme (08 92 69 78 68; www.opera-de-paris.fr). M: Bastille. Opera and ballet with a modern spin. Tickets can be purchased by Internet, mail, fax, phone (M-Sa 9am-7pm), or in person (M-Sa llam-6:30pm). Rush tickets for students under-25 and seniors 15min. before show. For wheelchair access, call 2 weeks ahead (01 40 01 18 08). Tickets 60-105. MCV.
Opera Gamier, pi. de I’Opera, 9bme ( 08 92 89 90 90; www.opera-de-paris.fr). M: Opera. Hosts symphonies, chamber music, and the Ballet de I’Opera de Paris. Tickets available 2 weeks before shows. Box office open M-Sa llam-6pm. Last-minute discount tickets available lhr. before showtime. For wheelchair access, call 2 weeks ahead (01 40 01 18 08). Tickets 19-64. AmExMCV.
Opera Comique, 5 r. Favart, 2feme (01 42 44 45 46; www.opera-comique.com). M: Richelieu-Drouot. Operas on a lighter scale-from Rossini to Offenbach. Box office open M-Sa llam-7pm. Tickets 29-112. Student rush tickets available 15min. before show.
La Comedie Fran?aise, 2 r. de Richelieu, ler (01 44 58 15 15; www.comedie-francaise.fr). M: Palais-Royal. Founded by Moliere, now the granddaddy of all French theaters. Expect wildly gesticulated slapstick farce; you don’t need to speak French to understand the jokes. Tickets 4.50-30, under-27 4.50-7.50. Rush tickets for students (9) available lhr. before show. Handicapped patrons and their guests are asked to make reservations in advance (tickets 11). AmExMCV.
Bouffes du Nord, 37bis bd. de la Chapelle, lOeme (01 46 07 34 50; www.bouffes-dunord.com). M: La Chapelle. This experimental theater headed by British director Peter Brook and Stephen Lissner produces cutting-edge performances and concerts and offers occasional productions in English. Closed Aug. Box office open M-Sa llam-6pm. Concerts 18.50, under 26 and over 60 12; plays 14-24.50. Wheelchair-accessible, but you must call in advance.
La Cartoucherie, route du Champ de Manoeuvre, 12eme. M: Chateau de Vincennes; a free shuttle departs every 15min. beginning lhr. before performances, from the station. This 19th-century weapons factory has housed cutting-edge, socially conscious, and refreshingly democratic theater since 1970. The internationally renowned theater is home to 5 collectives, 2 studios, and 7 performance spaces. Most shows 15-20. For more info, visit www.la-tempete.frtheatrecartoucherie.html, or check Pariscope.
