It was under the direction of Offenbach that the theatre was opened in 1855 and thanks to him had many successes. The current circular architecture, devised by Charles Garnier, the architect of the Opéra de Paris, dates back to the 1880s. The theatre saw a new period of great success from 1910 onwards, under the direction of Abel Deval, then of Léon Volterra who, in 1925, had it reconstructed in order to install a comfortable and spacious auditorium. In 1946, Madame Volterra called upon the actors of the Comédie Française who formed the company Renault Barrault. A theatrical period of an exceptional level followed under the direction of Elvire Popesco from 1965, then of Jean Bodson from 1978. The recent productions show the success and the alternation of genres: revues, classic plays, musicals. etc; completed by the organization of several Molières ceremonies and the recording of the television programme 'Au Théâtre ce soir' (Tonight at the theatre) between 1968 and 1988.
