Opéra-Comique, Opera company in Paris, France
The Opéra-Comique occupies the Salle Favart at Place Boieldieu in Paris's 2nd arrondissement, with a capacity of 1,248 seats. Its light stone facade has three arched openings with fluted columns and gold-framed panels, topped by six statues. Inside, the white and cream auditorium features three tiers of shallow balconies with carved gilded railings and dark red seats.
The Opéra-Comique was founded on 26 December 1714 by Catherine Baron and Gautier de Saint-Edme from fairground troupes of the Foire Saint-Germain and Foire Saint-Laurent. In 1762 it merged with the Comédie-Italienne at the Hôtel de Bourgogne. The first Salle Favart, designed by Jean-François Heurtier, opened on 28 April 1783 with Marie-Antoinette present; it burned down in January 1838 after a performance of Don Giovanni.
The name comes from the French form of comic opera, a genre where sung numbers alternate with spoken scenes. Visitors still experience this combination of theater and song during performances at the Salle Favart today.
Performances take place throughout the year, with a program mixing older works and contemporary stagings. The entrance is located on Place Boieldieu, and the building is accessible from several metro stations nearby.
The house premiered major works like Bizet's Carmen in 1875 and Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande in 1902. Both premieres faced mixed reactions from audiences before becoming established classics.
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