Parisian Settings in Au théâtre ce soir

The TV drama program Au théâtre ce soir (1966–1986) participated in its own way in the diffusion of the Parisian imaginary. Produced by Pierre Sabbagh before a live audience at the Théâtre Marigny, the program was nourished—though only partially—by Parisian authors. It showed the finest districts and affluent suburbs of the city, given that these plays, most of which could be labeled “farces,” took place in indoor settings, thus reflecting the stereotype of the Parisian living-room. Most of the characters were affluent Parisian bourgeois. What we saw then was a socially frozen Paris in which social struggles had no relevance but from which modernity was not quite absent. For many years, that folksy, cardboard-cutout version of Paris found enthusiastic audiences who felt during the performances that they were being invited into a Paris theater. However, over time, the program came across as increasingly out of step.