10 Best Performing Arts Venues in Les Grands Boulevards, Paris

Many an arts career was launched at this institution, where Josephine Baker charmed the city clad in nothing but a banana skirt and pearls, and icons such as Charlie Chaplin, Maurice Chevalier, and Mistinguett made their big Paris debuts. The 1926 Art Deco facade is a listed historic monument, but the opulent interiors hark back to its Belle Époque heyday as Paris's most daring cabaret. Nowadays, Dita Von Teese and other cabaret acts perform here regularly, but you'll also find more family-style shows, including dance, solo acts, and musicals.

Paris's legendary music hall hosts an eclectic roster of performances encompassing genres that range from gospel and jazz to French chanson to rock. Edith Piaf rose to fame after a series of Olympia concerts, and Jeff Buckley's famous Live at the Olympia was recorded here. Nowadays, you can see top acts ranging from Beach House to Lady Gaga to George Benson.

Artists like Maurice Chevalier and Arletty were once a staple of this small concert hall in the storied Montmartre neighborhood before cabaret and vaudeville moved in. Today it's one of Paris's top pop and contemporary music venues; artists like Adele and Coldplay played here in their early days.

Since it opened in 1932, the Grand Rex—a designated historic landmark—has been Europe's largest cinema, with 2,800 seats in its main auditorium and Paris's largest screen. The cinema's history is almost as colorful as its superb Art Deco architecture, considered some of the finest in the city. Although some films are in French or are dubbed in French, many of the international films are in their original language (including many in English) with French subtitles.

First opened in 1921, Le Louxor has since been returned to its original Egyptian-theme splendor. Now the city's grandest cinema, this Art Deco beauty is gorgeously appointed—all in rich ocher with jewel-toned velvet seating—and shows a roster of contemporary international art films in three cinemas. Have a drink at the top-floor bar or balcony for spectacular views of the neighborhood and Sacré-Coeur.

France's third-oldest theatrical institution is a gem of an opera house whose reputation was forged by its former director, enfant terrible Jérôme Savary. In addition to staging operettas, the hall hosts modern dance, classical concerts, and vocal recitals. Tickets, which vary widely in price, can be purchased at the theater, online, or by phone.

This acoustic jewel was built in 1929 by Auguste Perret, who promised to construct "a concert hall that sounds like a Stradivarius." You can buy tickets for jazz and classical concerts only at the box office 30 minutes before each show; check the website for information on advance purchases. Free student recitals are offered at 12:30 pm on Tuesday and Thursday from October to April, and on some Wednesday afternoons from January to May.

One of Paris's most sumptuous theaters features musicals and other productions with a pronounced popular appeal (think The Lion King or Holiday on Ice). Many of the shows here are subtitled in English, thanks to Theatre in Paris ( theatreinparis.com).

The outlying atelier for the more illustrious Théâtre de l'Odéon is in the 17e, a bit off the beaten path; the upside is that on Sunday it often has a 3 pm matinee in addition to the evening show (usually at 8 pm).

Once a favorite of the immortal Serge Gainsbourg, Casino de Paris (a performance venue, not a gaming casino) has a horseshoe balcony and a cramped but cozy music-hall feel, and it presents everything from performances by touring musicals to Lorde and Belle & Sebastian concerts. This is where Josephine Baker performed in the early '30s with her leopard, Chiquita.