PARIS' THEATRE OF TERROR
Paris. The early 1900s in the Pigalle district, an area known for its many bars and ’adult entertainments’, later nicknamed ‘Pig Alley’ by visiting troops at the end of World War II. As night falls we venture down dark alleys and seedy side streets, making our way nervously to an evening like no other. We find ourselves at a door where devilish gargoyles grin menacingly down at us. Not the result of some perverse sense of humour, in fact the building was once a chapel, though now its stone guardians serve only to increase the nerves of the waiting customers. Taking our seats, we chat excitedly before the curtain is raised and a series of tales containing sexual titillation, shocking violence, madness and mutilation are played out before us. For this is a theatre like no other, this is the Grand Guignol.
From 1897 until its closure in 1962, the Grand Guignol became a legendary part of Parisian culture. Offering its own unique brand of entertainment, this infamous theatre laid the groundwork for much of contemporary horror media. Each night it would present a selection of short plays that were revolutionary in their approach to violence, psychology and darker subject matters. Among those who enjoyed the nocturnal pleasures this house of horrors had to offer were a young Ho Chi Minh (working in Paris as a pastry chef), Anaïs Nin and King Carol of Romania.
The name Grand Guignol translates as ‘Big Puppet’ and, as Mel Gordon suggests in his book , it reveals the intention of, Méténier focussed on plays of extreme social realism, highlighting working class issues in naturalistic stagings. With its tiny 20ft by 20ft stage, it was the perfect place to depict the horrors of real life. The choice of naming the theatre after a character who was entertaining but satirical was a pointed one and a firm statement of Méténier’s intent.
