Alhambra, Music theatre in 10th arrondissement, France

The Alhambra is a music theatre in the 10th arrondissement with a modern concrete and steel structure housing a performance space. The auditorium accommodates approximately 600 seated guests and up to 800 people standing during concerts.

The building opened in 1920 as the Théâtre Art Déco des Cheminots, a 600-seat theatre founded by the Paris Fraternal Railway Association. Never legally recognized as a theatre by the Paris authorities, it was converted to a commercial building in 1933 while keeping a rarely open drive-in cinema for railway workers. Producer Jean-Claude Auclair bought it in 2005; architect Pascal Lépissier rebuilt it with a 60-ton soundproof shell on springs, and it reopened in 2008 as the Alhambra.

The name Alhambra honours the old Alhambra-Maurice Chevalier music hall that stood 300 metres away. The new theatre carries on that music-hall tradition with an eclectic programme: indie rock, jazz, punk, African American folk, rap, world music, heavy metal, garage band rock, pop and manouche jazz.

The theatre is easily accessible by public transport and located near the original Alhambra site. You can book tickets online or purchase them at the box office for convenient scheduling of your visit.

The monumental staircase to the balcony is the only surviving element of the original Art Deco interior, created when the building opened in 1920 as the Théâtre Art Déco des Cheminots. The rest of the decor, including mahogany doors, geometric chandeliers and stucco pillars topped by a locomotive bas-relief, was lost when the theatre was rebuilt in 2005–2008.