Théâtre des Variétés

The Théâtre des Variétés, which opened its doors in eighteen hundred and seven, owes its existence to the sheer tenacity of one woman, Marguerite Brunet, better known as Mademoiselle Montansier. As a seventy-seven-year-old theater director who had fallen out of favor with the government, she faced the forced closure of her previous venue by imperial decree. Refusing to retire, she personally secured an audience with Napoleon Bonaparte to win his protection, allowing her to establish this new theater on the boulevard Montmartre.