Olympia Concert Hall, 60 years of success

The Olympia concert hall, a legendary venue, was founded in 1888 by Joseph Oller, the creator of the Pari Mutuel and the Moulin Rouge. He installed his wooden carousel in the courtyard of a building facing 28, boulevard des Capucines, near the Opéra Garnier. A few years later, the police prefect, fearing the wooden carousel might catch fire, ordered the attraction closed. The owner then built a 2,000-seat concert hall: the Olympia. The first Olympia concert hall. It opened on April 12, 1893, with La Goulue (a cancan dancer), Loïe Fuller (an American dancer), and Fregoli (a quick-change artist) as its first stars. Fairground attractions (acrobats, contortionists, etc.) took center stage. From 1911 to 1914, Jacques Charles staged music-hall revues there, with performances by Mistinguett and Yvonne Printemps. In 1916, Raphaël Beretta and Léon Volterra took over its management. World War I: Olympia in silence. During World War I, the original Olympia remained closed until 1928. Paul Franck managed it from 1918 to 1928, featuring attractions and increasingly more songs. But in 1929, due to the economic crisis, it became a cinema under the name Théâtre Jacques-Haïck. In 1954, it was rebuilt as a music-hall with a modern sound system, and Bruno Coquatrix was appointed director. The second Olympia in 1954 with Bruno Coquatrix. During World War II, the hall was occupied first by the German army, then by the American army. The cinema dominated until 1954. Jacques Haïk (founder of the Le Grand Rex cinema) completely rebuilt Joseph Oller’s old music-hall into a magnificent performance space. In 1954, Sato (a member of the “Jacques Haïk Group,” which owned the Olympia) fully funded a modern sound system and hired Bruno Coquatrix as director. The new Olympia opened on February 5, 1954, and was an immediate success. Lucienne Delyle took the stage, accompanied by Aimé Barelli’s orchestra. Gilbert Bécaud made his debut there, followed by Barbara, Georges Brassens, Brel, Ferré, Piaf… and international artists like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Dalida made her debut there in 1956. Gilbert Bécaud premiered *Et maintenant* there in 1961. But that same year, the Olympia nearly went bankrupt—until Edith Piaf, then gravely ill (*Non, je ne regrette rien*, *Mon Dieu*, *Les Flonflons du bal*), performed there for three months and saved it. After Jacques Tati’s *Jour de fête* (a revival of scenes from his first film, featuring acrobatics and live sketches), Johnny Hallyday took over. Olympia and the New Wave. Johnny Hallyday’s popularity was such that new seats had to be ordered, as audiences broke them during performances. Jacques Brel then sang *Les Bourgeois*, *Madeleine*, *Les Paumés du petit matin*, and *Ne me quitte pas*. At the end of 1961, the venue hosted Sylvie Vartan’s first shows; she later performed in larger halls before returning in 1996, 1999, 2009, and 2010… Rock and twist shows were staged between 1961 and 1963. In 1979, after Bruno Coquatrix’s death, management passed to his nephew Jean-Michel Boris (who remained in the role until 2001). The end of the Coquatrix era and the beginning of Jean-Michel Boris. In 1989, Sheila gave her farewell performance, and nine years later, in 1998, she returned to the stage. In 1998, Annie Cordy celebrated 50 years in show business and 70 years on stage. The record for the longest-running show was set by Michel Sardou in 1995, who performed for six months, giving 113 shows from January 10 to March 26, then April 11 to April 30, before concluding his tour on June 10. In addition to music and song, the Olympia hosts a wide variety of performances, including circuses, ballets, films, and operettas. A dance and performance school occupies the attic of the building. Later, Béatrix Hoang (dancer and choreographer) taught jazz classes there, and Patrick Ehrhard (choreographer, teacher, and dancer) took charge of contemporary dance courses. Alice Dona and Bernard Lavilliers also have their performance schools there. Many dancers are trained there. The fight to save the Olympia In 1992, Société Générale, the owner of the block, announced a major real estate project, involving a restructuring of the rear of the building to create a public square. Public and professional mobilization led to the listing of the former billiards hall as a historic monument by decree on May 23, 1991. As a result, the bank opted for a more modest project: the hall was rebuilt identically (shifted by a few meters) and equipped with improved technical facilities. The third Olympia, the Olympia of today The last performance in the old Olympia from 1954 took place on April 14, 1997. The new hall opened in November 1997 with Gilbert Bécaud. In August 2001, Vivendi Universal, which became Vivendi in 2006, acquired the operating rights (the "Olympia" name). Since 1999, the Olympia concert hall (the building) has belonged to the SFL (Société foncière lyonnaise).