The TOP shows to see in Paris
Sixteen shows to see in Paris and the Île-de-France region, chosen for their long runs so you have time to go. The Lion King and Shrek for families, Ruy Blas at the Comédie-Française, Cinderella strolling through a Mansart château, and Laurent Baffie's one-man show for those unfiltered evenings.
LES ROCHAMBELLES AT THE THÉÂTRE MICHEL
Thirty women enlisted in 1944 in the only all-female unit on the Allied front and landed in Normandy unarmed. Valérie Demay adapted the story of her own grandmother into a play, performed by Merryl Beaudonnet and Charlotte Bigeard in a metallic set infused with electronic music. The show was a triumph at the 2025 Avignon Off Festival.
THÉÂTRE MICHEL
From September 25, 2026
ROBERT BADINTER, THE JUSTICE ENTHUSIASTIC AT THE THÉÂTRE ANTOINE
From the Assize Court to major reforms, Robert Badinter has never ceased to question the law and its demands. Stéphane Guillon takes up the challenge of embodying this unwavering conscience, guided by an unyielding faith in human dignity. A tribute to the statesman, and a demonstration that a single voice can influence the course of history.
THÉÂTRE ANTOINE
From September 23, 2026 to January 3, 2027
THE LION KING AT THE THÉÂTRE MOGADOR
Simba is born before the eyes of the animal kingdom, loses everything through Scar's betrayal, grows up far from his family, then returns to confront his past. The sixth Parisian season for a show that has become a must-see, featuring the songs of Elton John and Tim Rice. A family adventure that's as much a fairy tale as a grand music-hall spectacle.
THÉÂTRE MOGADOR
From September 25 to December 30, 2026
ANTIGONE AT THE THÉÂTRE DES MATHURINS
Déborah Moreau performs Jean Anouilh's text alone on stage, directed by Andréa Bescond, the director of Les Chatouilles. Humor, music, and raw energy: this Antigone stands up against Creon and a patriarchal power she refuses to submit to. More than a revisited classic, it's a text brought back to life.
THÉÂTRE DES MATHURINS
From September 23 to November 25, 2026
CINDERELLA AT THE CHÂTEAU DE MAISONS No armchairs or red curtains: the audience follows Cinderella on foot, from room to room, in a Mansart château transformed into a fairytale setting. The projections do the rest, from the ball to the carriage. A way to bring children into a monument without asking them to sit still for an hour and a half.
CHÂTEAU DE MAISONS, MAISONS-LAFFITTE
From November 6 to December 13, 2026
THE GREAT LAPLAND COMEDY AT THE THÉÂTRE DE LA RENAISSANCE
Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière, the duo from Le Prénom, adapt a comedy from the North. A family sets off in search of the perfect escape under the Northern Lights and discovers that it's not so easy to escape oneself. Biting cold, cramped quarters, old resentments: the dream vacation turns into a settling of scores.
THÉÂTRE DE LA RENAISSANCE
From September 18, 2026 to January 10, 2027
COAL IN THE VEINS AT THE THÉÂTRE SAINT-GEORGES
1958, Nœux-les-Mines, in the heart of the Nord mining basin. Sosthène, a former miner, uses his silicosis pension to buy a black and white television, with only one idea in mind: to watch the World Cup in Sweden and cheer on Raymond Kopa, the local hero. A village chronicle where the world suddenly bursts in.
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Saint-Georges Theatre
From September 15 to December 20 2026[/compact]
LE CID GOES WILD AT THE THÉÂTRE HÉBERTOT The Count slaps Don Diègue, too old to fight, who entrusts his sword to his son: Rodrigue must kill the father of the woman he loves. Caroline Vigneaux takes Corneille's dilemma seriously and dusts it off with humor and rhythm. The alexandrines hold their own, and the solemnity of the 17th century takes a welcome blow.
EIGHT KINGS (OUR PRESIDENTS) AT LA PÉPINIÈRE THÉÂTRE
Five episodes, a dreamlike and zany comedy, to retrace the upheavals and political stakes of our last presidents. The Life and Death of Jacques Chirac opens the show on an era when politics was still assertive and popular, while Generation Mitterrand lays the groundwork for our own. We laugh nervously, and that's intentional.
LA PÉPINIÈRE THÉÂTRE
From September 13, 2026 to April 11, 2027
THE 7 LIVES OF YOUNESS HANIFI AT THE THÉÂTRE DU GYMNASE MARIE BELL
Discovered on Radio Nova, having passed through the Jamel Comedy Club, Youness Hanifi has established himself as one of the rising stars of French stand-up. He transforms everyday annoyances into comedy, with a keen sense of observation and boundless energy. A one-man show where everyone will ultimately recognize themselves.
THÉÂTRE DU GYMNASE MARIE BELL
From September 10, 2026 to January 16, 2027
SHREK THE MUSICAL AT THE FOLIES BERGÈRE The most famous ogre in cinema celebrates his twenty-fifth anniversary and leaves his swamp for the nave of the Folies Bergère. After Broadway, the musical blends pop-rock, soul, and funk in a delightful parody of fairy tales, featuring a particularly talkative donkey and a troupe of enchanted characters banished from their kingdom.
RUY BLAS AT THE COMÉDIE-FRANÇAISE A footman falls madly in love with a queen consumed by the boredom of power, and the Spain of Charles II serves as the backdrop for his downfall. In 1838, Victor Hugo penned his most flamboyant romantic drama, a tale of revenge and court intrigue. The Comédie-Française company is reviving it at the Salle Richelieu for the entire season.
COMÉDIE-FRANÇAISE, SALLE RICHELIEU
From October 15, 2026 to January 27, 2027
LAURENT BAFFIE AT LA GAÎTÉ RIVE GAUCHE
He spent thirty years saying out loud what television studios cut in the editing room, and he's back on stage for a long run of solo performances. Laurent Baffie unleashes his unfiltered humor, to be taken for what it is: an art of provocation that embraces not pleasing anyone halfway.
THÉÂTRE DE LA GAÎTÉ RIVE GAUCHE
From October 8, 2026 to March 18, 2027
LADIES' TAILOR AT THE THÉÂTRE DE LA MADELEINE
Feydeau in bell-bottoms: Julien Alluguette shifts the mechanics of vaudeville to the 1970s and gives each character their own musical theme. Doctor Moulineaux returns at dawn and, to justify his night shift, declares himself a ladies' tailor. The lie does the rest, and the comedic clockwork holds firm.
THÉÂTRE DE LA MADELEINE
From November 5, 2026 to January 10, 2027
OLYMPE(S) AT LA SCALA PARIS Olympe de Gouges initially wanted her plays performed at the Comédie-Française. She wrote the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and the Female Citizen, and she lost her life for it. Ten actor-singers bring her work to life on the Boulevard de Strasbourg, and the theater gives her back what it denied her during her lifetime.
LA SCALA PARIS
From November 7 to December 31, 2026
LES MISÉRABLES AT THE THÉÂTRE DU CHÂTELET
Born in Paris in 1980, and having triumphed on every continent, Schönberg and Boublil's musical returns home in its French version. The Châtelet gives it the stage it deserves and a two-month run, allowing time to see if the barricade still holds forty-six years after the seminal recording.
THÉÂTRE DU CHÂTELET
From November 11, 2026 to January 10, 2027
LILY AND LILY AT THE THÉÂTRE DE PARIS
Michèle Bernier plays two twin sisters who are complete opposites: a Hollywood star with a penchant for luxury and alcohol, and the wife of a Minnesota pastor. Barillet and Gredy's farce returns for a full season, with all the slamming doors and misunderstandings the genre demands.
THÉÂTRE DE PARIS
From November 12, 2026 to January 3, 2027
