In my dear gorgeous Versailles ; there are many places other than the castle. The city needs to be seen more, my kind of town, actually did lived there for 9+ glorious years! Very nice family memories. I found me older paper pictures that again should be in my blog, This was on a special friends of the Château de Versailles visit of which I am a member since 2007. Therefore, here is my take again on the Théâtre de la Reine by the Petit Trianon !!! Hope you enjoy the post as I
A nearby building not far from the Petit Trianon ,is theThéatre de la Reine, you see the two female figures that mark the entrance to the theater, they are Melpoméne, lady of singing, harmony and tragedy and Thalie, lady of comedy. It is here that the Queen Marie Antoinette invited the society high class to play with her. She played herself and many times in front of her domestic entourage! Her last role was in September 15, 1785 as Rosine in the play the Barber of Seville by Beaumarchais in the present of the author himself!. wonderful place indeed ,and of course gorgeous inside glad was able to grab one picture on a special tour by the Friends of the Château de Versailles !

To satisfy her pronounced taste for the theater, Marie-Antoinette, tired of the provisional facilities that she had established both in the Grand Trianon gallery and in the Orangerie of her new domain, demand of her architect Richard Mique to build a real theater . The work was completed in the spring of 1780 and its inauguration took place on June 1 of the same year. The size of the room can accommodate about 250 spectators. General colors adopt blue, white and gold. The different golden tones mix harmoniously with the false marbles where the purple breach dominates. The ceiling, delivered by the painter Jean-Jacques Lagrenée, known as Lagrenée the young,French painter, designer and engraver. Does the painting a few days before the inauguration of the theater, represented Apollo surrounded by graces and muses. It was replaced in the 19C with a copy. The scene, vast dimensions is equipped in a very perfected manner. The orchestra pit can accommodate around 20 musicians. From 1780 to 1785, Marie-Antoinette used her theater in two ways. Sponsor of shows, the Queen asked for works that testified to her taste for the music of her time: she makes Gluck, Grétry, Sacchini and Paisiello play, whose barber of Seville, created in Saint Petersburg in front of Catherine II, is played for the first time in France in Trianon in 1784. Abandoned by the Queen after 1785, the theater crossed the revolutionary period without major damage.
The theater, was used occasionally throughout the 19C and at the beginning of the 20C ,and was restored between 1925 and 1936 and then in 2001. Last played was in 2023 ! The theater, because of its smallness and its distance from the castle no longer serves as a performance hall, which has made it possible to protect it even more by avoiding safety standards which would inevitably have harmful repercussions to its character of authenticity.
The city of Versailles Tourist office on culture (general): https://www.versailles.fr/58/culture/la-culture-a-versailles.htm
The Château de Versailles on the théâtre de la Reine : https://en.chateauversailles.fr/discover/estate/estate-trianon/queen-theatre
One of the must to see in Versailles and worth it. Another masterpiece of my belle France, and hope you have the time to see it while at this huge property that is the Domaine de Versailles. Again, hope you enjoy this post on the Théâtre de la Reine by the Petit Trianon !!! as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!