Humour, comedy and theatre in Paris

The Paris cultural calendar is packed with events for plays and comedy show fans, from one-(wo)man shows to classic and contemporaryplays.

Comedy shows

One-(wo)man shows and live performances are highly imaginative, promising an evening of fun to be enjoyed with friends or family. Laughter and gaiety are on the cards with comedies and stand-up comedians: you’ll be sure to have a whale of a time.

There is an international slant to the one-man and one-woman-shows in the French capital this year. You don’t have to be a fluent English speaker to enjoy Olivier Giraud’s show How to Become Parisian in One Hour at the Théâtre des Nouveautés. At the Théâtre Bo Saint-Martin, Julie Collas presents a new episode of her all-English stand-up comedy show Oh my God, she’s Parisian ! (until 23 december 2022).

Book your ticket for Oh my God, she's Parisian!

Book your ticket for How to become a Parisian in one hour!

From 3 november to 17 december 2022, Paul Taylor is breaking in his new show at La Scala Paris, available in French, or in English … or maybe both! Sébastian Marx, an American stand-up comedian living in Paris, lifts the curtain on his new French show, On est bien là, at the Petit Palais des Glaces. A very funny, energetic, and well-paced one-man show (on Fridays and Saturdays, from 9 september 2022). Finally, head to the Apollo Théâtre to see the show by the American Iranian comedian and actor Maz Jobrani (on 18 september 2022), part of the Comedy Stop Paris event, from 16 au 18 september 2022, which brings together the best international and French comedians.

Comedy shows are staged not only in dedicated spaces such as Le Palais des Glaces and Le Point Virgule, but also in large venues where comedy regularly features in eclectic programming: the Casino de Paris, Folies Bergere and Bobino.

See our list of shows in Paris

Theatre in the limelight

High drama in Paris! This autumn the curtain will open to reveal some exciting new plays. Clever, light-hearted, thought-provoking, funny, melancholic: the sheer variety of plays on offer this autumn will enchant audiences of every stripe.  More than 100 Paris venues regularly stage plays, among them the Comédie Française, the Théâtre du Rond-Point, the Théâtre de la Michodière, the Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens and the Théâtre  Edouard VII … there is something for all tastes!

From 7 décember 2022 to 15 january 2023, 42nd Street is showing at the Théâtre du Châtelet. This uplifting musical transports the audience behind the scenes of Broadway, in the 1930s. An eagerly awaited show, performed in English with French surtitles.

More information on musicals in Paris

At the Théâtre de la Madeleine, Francis Veber presents his new play Le Tourbillon, with Philippe Lellouche (from 22 september 2022). Une situation délicate, adapted from the play ‘Relatively Speaking’ by English playwright Alan Ayckbourn, creates the event at the Théâtre Edouard VII with stars Gérard Darmon and Clotilde Courau (resumed from 27 september 2022). With a mise en scène signed Arnaud Denis, Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, once again marks the new season of the Théâtre Hébertot (resumed from 20 september 2022). In another style, at the Divine Comédie, Françoise par Sagan, written and performed by Caroline Loeb and staged by Alex Lutz, is based on interviews by Françoise Sagan. The show is performed in English on Sundays (from 3 september 2022). 

Note: Foreign plays are often staged in the original language with French surtitles. Some theatres are accessible to the hard of hearing (Odéon-Théâtre de l'Europe, Opéra national de Paris, Comédie-Française, Théâtre National de Chaillot...). And international audiences can also enjoy an outing to the theatre in Paris, as some plays are surtitled in English.