Théâtre de la Gaîté (rue Papin)

The Théâtre de la Gaîté rises above rue Papin with a heavy, neoclassical stone facade, defined by the four massive caryatids standing guard above the entrance. These stone figures support a balcony where, in the late nineteenth century, the theater became the heart of Parisian operetta. Offenbach premiered some of his most famous works here while the house manager, Oscar de Lagoanère, insisted on lavish sets that emptied the treasury. The theater burned in nineteen oh eight, but the shell remains, guarding its ghosts.