Olympia (Paris)

Olympia

Façade of music, shown at night (c. 2009)
Full name	L'Olympia Bruno Coquatrix
Former names	Montagnes Russes (1889-93) Théâtre Jacques Haïk (1928-1944)
Address	28 Boulevard des Capucines 75009 Paris, France
Location	9th arrondissement
Owner	Coquatrix Family
Capacity	1,996
Construction
Opened	26 May 1888 (1888-05-26)
Renovated	1954, 1979, 1997, 2001
Closed	1916-18, 1944-54,
Website
Venue Website (in French)

Olympia (commonly known as L'Olympia, Olympia Hall or Paris Olympia) is a music hall located in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, France. Located at No. 28, Boulevard des Capucines, its closest métro/RER stations are Madeleine, Opéra, Havre – Caumartin and Auber.

History

Co-Founded in 1888, by Joseph Oller and Charles Zidler, the co-creators of the Moulin Rouge, today easily recognizable by its giant red glowing letters announcing its name. It opened in 1889 as the "Montagnes Russes" but was renamed the Olympia in 1893. Besides musicians, the Olympia played host to a variety of entertainment including circuses, ballets, and operettas. However, following a steady decline in appearances by the great stars, from 1929 until 1944 it served as a movie theater. It may have opened as a music hall under the German occupation of France during World War II, but certainly in 1945 after the Liberation, it was a music hall free to Allied troops in uniform. Attendees had to listen to the playing of four national anthems before the varied programs that always ended with a spirited can-can performed by dancers, some of whom were no longer young. Thereafter, at times it may have reverted to movies again until Bruno Coquatrix revived it as a music hall with a grand re-opening in February 1954. After his death, it ultimately went into another decline and was in danger of being torn down and turned into a parking lot but on 7 January 1993, France's then Minister of Culture, Jack Lang issued a preservation order for the Olympia that resulted in two years of construction work to rebuild a perfect replica of the façade and the grandeur of its famous red interior.

Édith Piaf achieved great acclaim at the Olympia giving several series of recitals from January 1955 until October 1962. Before coming to America, the Beatles performed eighteen days (January 16 - February 4, 1964) of concerts at the Olympia Theatre, playing two and sometimes three shows a day. They were staying at the Hotel George V and after returning at the end of their first day, they were told that I Want To Hold Your Hand had reached number one in America. Jeff Buckley, long an admirer of Piaf, gave what he considered the finest performance of his career there in 1995, which was later released in 2001 on Live at L'Olympia. Jacques Brel's 1961 and 1964 concerts at L'Olympia are legendary and preserved to this day on new CD releases. Marlene Dietrich's 1962 Olympia concert was broadcast. On May 3–4, 1972, The Grateful Dead played two concerts here as part of their first major European tour. Both shows were recorded and songs from each were released on their 1972 live album "Europe '72". Dave Gahan played concert here and it was released on the 2004 DVD, Live Monsters.

Performers

Inaugurated by the biggest star in France at the time, singer/dancer La Goulue, the venue has showcased a wide variety of performers, including French acts such as Dalida, Alan Stivell, Nolwenn Leroy, Édith Piaf, Léo Ferré, Charles Aznavour, Grégory Lemarchal, Joe Dassin, Chimène Badi, Julie Pietri, Adamo, Gilbert Bécaud, Jacques Brel, Yves Montand, Johnny Hallyday, Mireille Mathieu, Barbara, Véronique Sanson, Charles Trenet, Yvonne Printemps, Michel Polnareff, and many others.

International stars have included Lana Del Rey, Tokio Hotel, Violetta Villas, The Beach Boys, The Beatles, David Bowie, Black Sabbath, Judy Garland, Miles Davis, Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix, Umm Kulthum, Nancy Ajram, Tina Turner, Madonna, Ray Charles, Janet Jackson, Björk, Tori Amos, Abdel Halim Hafez, Fairuz, The Jackson 5, Jorge Ben, Maysa, Liza Minnelli, Lara Fabian, Lluís Llach, Jethro Tull, Amália Rodrigues, Josephine Baker, Celine Dion, Cher, Diana Ross & The Supremes, Nelly Furtado, Tony Carreira, Evanescence, Arctic Monkeys, James Brown & Ahlam, Tereza Kesovija, Oliver Dragojević, The Rolling Stones, Il Volo, Ajda Pekkan, Bülent Ersoy, Olivera Katarina among many others.

External links

• Documentary 52': Si l'Olympia m'etait Conte video
• Official website, accessed 15 July 2011

References

Sources

• Jean-Michel Boris, Jean-François Brieu, Eric Didi: Olympia Bruno Coquatrix, 50 ans de Music-Hall, 2003, Editions Hors Collection, ISBN 2-258-06234-9
• Paulette Coquatrix: Mes noces d'or avec l'Olympia, Bordeaux, Le Castor Astral
• Jeanne Tallon: J’étais ouvreuse à l'Olympia, 2004, Paris, Editions Fayard, ISBN 2-213-61839-9