Laurent Lafitte (Albin-Zaza) in "La Cage aux folles," directed by Olivier Py, at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, in December 2025. THOMAS AMOUROUX/THÉÂTRE DU CHÂTELET
The list is impressive: La Cage aux Folles at the Théâtre du Châtelet, Les Demoiselles de Rochefort at the Lido, Chicago at the Casino de Paris, Little Shop of Horrors at the Théâtre de la Porte-Saint Martin, Dear Evan Hansen at the Théâtre de la Madeleine, The Phantom of the Opera at the Théâtre Antoine... not to mention the revival of The Producers at the Théâtre de Paris, La Haine at La Seine musicale, as well as the return of Notre-Dame de Paris and no fewer than two adaptations of Monte-Cristo in January and February 2026.
Rarely has the French capital welcomed so many musicals. While it would be an exaggeration to say that Paris is becoming the new Broadway, it is clear that the range of shows has never been so diverse, mixing adaptations or replicas of anglophone productions, new shows in their original language and French creations. And some of these have already achieved impressive success.
This new "Broadway-on-the-Seine" trend is borne out by the numbers. According to data from the National Music Center, attendance at these shows rose by 22% in 2024, fueled in particular by the 1.3 million people who attended Starmania. The annual live performance audience barometer, conducted each year by Ekhoscènes, the union of private live performance producers, showed that the percentage of French people who said they attended a musical at least once a year climbed from 6% in 2014 to 19% in 2025. The revival – 20 years after its creation – of The Lion King with choreography by Kamel Ouali, was nearly sold out before performances even began at the Dôme de Paris at the end of the year. "The phenomenon is beyond us," exclaimed the choreographer. "We didn't expect it."
