How to become Parisian in one hour?
How to become Parisian in one hour?
4.5
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
About
1 million spectators ! Comedy show 100% in English ! Hailed by THE NEW YORK TIMES as "Learning to be French through comedy!", Olivier Giraud will teach you how to act like a real Parisian in every situations encountered during your stay in Paris. Perfect night out surrounded by Parisians and a multicultural audience in a century old 600 seats theatre located in the lively heart of Paris ! Please note that due to few jokes about 'How to understand the sexuality in Paris", we do not recommended the show for kids under 16 years old.
Duration: 1-2 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listingAdmission tickets
from
£20.47
Full view
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Top ways to experience How to become Parisian in one hour? and nearby attractions
The area
Address
Neighbourhood: 9th Arr. - Opéra
How to get there
- Grands Boulevards • 1 min walk
- Bonne Nouvelle • 4 min walk
Reach out directly
Best nearby
We rank these restaurants and attractions by balancing reviews from our members with how close they are to this location.
Restaurants
10,000 within 3 miles
Attractions
4,867 within 6 miles
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
2,562 reviews
Excellent
1,848
Very good
529
Average
126
Poor
40
Terrible
21
kyrea
Paris, France5 contributions
Apr 2022 • Family
It was a delight to bring family to watch 'How to Become a Parisian in One Hour'. It helped them answer many questions about Paris in the form of theatrical expression. A perfect way to do it. Well executed by Olivier Giraud!
Written 1 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Charles E
Houston, TX7 contributions
Nov 2011 • Couples
I suppose the most baffling aspect after seeing this show was trying to comprehend the number of positive reviews by other individuals. There really are a limited number of bad reviews and we just couldn't understand how that could possibly be the case.
We just attended a few days ago, actually writing this from the hotel room, and really felt it necessary to set the record straight regarding the performance.
1. The performance is not geared to foreign travelers - It is better suited for locals who understand the local culture and phrases a bit better. There were a number of times when the punch lines were in French with no explanation in English. You felt as if you were just sitting there left hanging on numerous occasions.
2. The humor was childish and repetitive - The variety of jokes was very limited in scope with no thought or interpretation required. Many of the jokes were rudementary sex based jokes that could be told by a middle school student. Quite unfortunate that the show was founded with such shallow roots.
3. The price for what you get is ridiculous - The cost of the show is approximately 30 euros which isn't over the top for a good performance, even if it is only an hour. I suppose the bigger rub is that for the quality of the humor it felt like robbery, probably one of the worst shows I have attended.
My take is you should look to spend your evening elsewhere, this is surely not somewhere I would recommend spending my time or money.
We just attended a few days ago, actually writing this from the hotel room, and really felt it necessary to set the record straight regarding the performance.
1. The performance is not geared to foreign travelers - It is better suited for locals who understand the local culture and phrases a bit better. There were a number of times when the punch lines were in French with no explanation in English. You felt as if you were just sitting there left hanging on numerous occasions.
2. The humor was childish and repetitive - The variety of jokes was very limited in scope with no thought or interpretation required. Many of the jokes were rudementary sex based jokes that could be told by a middle school student. Quite unfortunate that the show was founded with such shallow roots.
3. The price for what you get is ridiculous - The cost of the show is approximately 30 euros which isn't over the top for a good performance, even if it is only an hour. I suppose the bigger rub is that for the quality of the humor it felt like robbery, probably one of the worst shows I have attended.
My take is you should look to spend your evening elsewhere, this is surely not somewhere I would recommend spending my time or money.
Written 27 November 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Luv Scotland
Fife, UK96 contributions
May 2011
We had read the rave reviews on trip advisor and thought it sounded a good way to spend 1 of our 5 nights in Paris, however I found it very uncomfortable and in fact it's not really the Parisians he is poking fun at...no they clearly revel in the fact they are considered arrogant and better looking (according to the performer)....it's us they are laughing at...the Americans, the Brits, the Germans, the list goes on.
We made sure we were at the theatre in plenty of time for his performance at 8.30 but it didn't start until 8.50pm, which was most annoying as the seats are uncomfortable and you are crammed in like sardines. The visual sights of Paris are far too spectacular to waste time sitting in this theatre watching someone revel in the rudness of the Parisians.
We made sure we were at the theatre in plenty of time for his performance at 8.30 but it didn't start until 8.50pm, which was most annoying as the seats are uncomfortable and you are crammed in like sardines. The visual sights of Paris are far too spectacular to waste time sitting in this theatre watching someone revel in the rudness of the Parisians.
Written 23 May 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
UnworldlyTraveler
Toronto, Canada43 contributions
Nov 2011 • Couples
How this show came to be ranked #1 on TripAdvisor is mystifying.
To his credit, Olivier is an energetic and enthusiastic performer, and putting on a one-man show in an hour is no easy task. However, his show's brand of humor was generally cheap, repetitive, and completely over-the-top. Olivier drew on the same stereotypes again and again, which would have been tolerable if they were funny to begin with. The show had so much potential - were the flamboyant, bubbly American and the snooty, uptight Parisian the only characters he could come up with?
If you're looking for mindless entertainment and dirty jokes cause you to convulse with laughter, this might be worth your time and money. Otherwise, take your 30 euros elsewhere.
To his credit, Olivier is an energetic and enthusiastic performer, and putting on a one-man show in an hour is no easy task. However, his show's brand of humor was generally cheap, repetitive, and completely over-the-top. Olivier drew on the same stereotypes again and again, which would have been tolerable if they were funny to begin with. The show had so much potential - were the flamboyant, bubbly American and the snooty, uptight Parisian the only characters he could come up with?
If you're looking for mindless entertainment and dirty jokes cause you to convulse with laughter, this might be worth your time and money. Otherwise, take your 30 euros elsewhere.
Written 27 November 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CarlosCook
London, UK18 contributions
Jun 2013 • Couples
Humour (or even humor) is hard to do well, even more so when it has to span languages. To that end, this show is good, and no doubt most people who speak English as a second language really enjoyed the show (hence all the 5-star reviews).
However, if you are a native English speaker, this show doesn't come close to what you'd expect from a "top rate" comedian. Don't get me wrong, the guy is good, but I suspect the content is dumbed down a lot to hit the target audience.
We found the show disappointing... we thought it would be full of very smart and quick shots at the French culture, with a bunch of subtlety and sarcasm thrown in, but alas, it was very slow and deliberate all the way through (think US "The Office" seasons 1 and 2, instead of the UK version).
I thought we had just seen the show on a particularly bad night, but he pretty much received a standing ovation at the end, to my amusement.
He is touring the UK at the moment... it would be interesting to see if he changes his delivery style for this.
It's a little unfair that I've given a 2-star review, but he did really plug trip-advisor at the end of his show, which I think it a little tacky and misleading.
However, if you are a native English speaker, this show doesn't come close to what you'd expect from a "top rate" comedian. Don't get me wrong, the guy is good, but I suspect the content is dumbed down a lot to hit the target audience.
We found the show disappointing... we thought it would be full of very smart and quick shots at the French culture, with a bunch of subtlety and sarcasm thrown in, but alas, it was very slow and deliberate all the way through (think US "The Office" seasons 1 and 2, instead of the UK version).
I thought we had just seen the show on a particularly bad night, but he pretty much received a standing ovation at the end, to my amusement.
He is touring the UK at the moment... it would be interesting to see if he changes his delivery style for this.
It's a little unfair that I've given a 2-star review, but he did really plug trip-advisor at the end of his show, which I think it a little tacky and misleading.
Written 2 January 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
QTPyePop
Alexandria, VA356 contributions
Dec 2011
One word to describe this show: hilarious!! My friend and I visited Paris in December 2011, and we went to this show during our visit. There were people from many different countries and all walks of life, but everyone laughed nonstop! We had a great time!
FYI – The theater is located on a back alley about a block from the nearest metro station. There are a few signs around so you shouldn’t have a problem finding it. Also, there is a bar in the theater that sells wine, beer, and cocktails.
FYI – The theater is located on a back alley about a block from the nearest metro station. There are a few signs around so you shouldn’t have a problem finding it. Also, there is a bar in the theater that sells wine, beer, and cocktails.
Written 9 January 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
aygiena
London, UK168 contributions
Disagree with the last rewiev! He did make fun of americans but it wasn't that rude.. Yes, Show did start later than planed but thats not a big problem, and I personaly liked the seatings - it was different and cozy and I didn't feel lack of space at all. Show was one of the best experiences in our 3 days trip to Paris!!! Highly recommended!!!!! One tip- I bought tickets online and I wish I didn't! I paid € 20 for myself and €30 for my other half, however I noticed that everybody else had tickets for €15!
Written 24 May 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Seattle98101
Seattle, WA3,383 contributions
Mar 2011
This is an amusing show, which we enjoyed on a cold evening and found ourselves referring back to in subsequent days as we watched people around us. Lots of laughs as he pokes fun at everyone, particularly Parisians and Americans. Beware, he does pull a few people up onstage, so you may not want to sit in the front row!
Written 20 March 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Marithery
Miami, FL221 contributions
Mar 2011
I read about this show on Trip Advisor and booked the tickets online before arriving in Paris. I was charged twice for my tickets and two completely different amounts...I contacted the billing office regarding this, and the matter was quickly resolved.
The Theatre de la Main d'Or, is situated off the main street and is a bit tricky to find. However, once there, it is a wonderful example of a Parisian Theatre that offers a lovely ambience, decor and bar. Combined, these factors make the entire experience all the more exciting.
Olivier Giraud, is the comedian...a French man with the crazy notion of an all English show in the heart of Paris. Despite the doubts of many theatre owners, Mr. Giraud has been extremely successful in delivering this comedic act and his reputation is well deserved.
In his show, he interacts with the audience and pokes great fun at Parisians, Americans, Africans and even the Japanese get their fair share of insult! In a series of "Lessons", Mr. Giraud shows us how to act like a Parisian in restaurants, bars, clubs, tourist attractions...even while hailing a taxi and riding the trains. He covers all the basics in an amazingly comical way.
What I found very interesting, is that the majority of the audience was French...and they seemed to be laughing and enjoy the show more than all the others!
I brought my young daughter with me and though the vast majority of the show is appropriate for all audiences...adult subjects do arise in one particular lesson. Olivier announces to the audience right before this "lesson" and offers the option of stepping outside the theatre for a few minutes. As I was walking out, his assistants offered to stay with my daughter while I enjoyed the show...so of course I enjoyed that very valuable lesson, sans enfant!! The assistant escorted my daughter, lovingly nicknamed "Le Croissant" by Olivier himself, back to our seats immediately after the lesson. A gesture that was not required, but certainly appreciated by our group.
The Theatre de la Main d'Or, is situated off the main street and is a bit tricky to find. However, once there, it is a wonderful example of a Parisian Theatre that offers a lovely ambience, decor and bar. Combined, these factors make the entire experience all the more exciting.
Olivier Giraud, is the comedian...a French man with the crazy notion of an all English show in the heart of Paris. Despite the doubts of many theatre owners, Mr. Giraud has been extremely successful in delivering this comedic act and his reputation is well deserved.
In his show, he interacts with the audience and pokes great fun at Parisians, Americans, Africans and even the Japanese get their fair share of insult! In a series of "Lessons", Mr. Giraud shows us how to act like a Parisian in restaurants, bars, clubs, tourist attractions...even while hailing a taxi and riding the trains. He covers all the basics in an amazingly comical way.
What I found very interesting, is that the majority of the audience was French...and they seemed to be laughing and enjoy the show more than all the others!
I brought my young daughter with me and though the vast majority of the show is appropriate for all audiences...adult subjects do arise in one particular lesson. Olivier announces to the audience right before this "lesson" and offers the option of stepping outside the theatre for a few minutes. As I was walking out, his assistants offered to stay with my daughter while I enjoyed the show...so of course I enjoyed that very valuable lesson, sans enfant!! The assistant escorted my daughter, lovingly nicknamed "Le Croissant" by Olivier himself, back to our seats immediately after the lesson. A gesture that was not required, but certainly appreciated by our group.
Written 11 April 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pokieman2
New Hamburg, Canada423 contributions
Sept 2013 • Couples
This was so lame in so many ways. First, the theatre seating is unbelievably uncomfortable. My husband is 6' 2" and booked an aisle seat on purpose to get room. His knees were locked against the seat in front of him. Then to make matters worse, they sold a kind of jump seat in the aisle next to him, which flips down and allows another person to squeeze in. The seats are extremely narrow, as well.
Secondly the production value of this show is nonexistent. I have been to one person shows before but this one looked like high school students had staged it.
Finally, the show is just not very funny. He spends five minutes singing the French National Anthem, another five minutes getting people to call out where they come from and two sets of five minute segments where he calls someone up from the audience. That leaves about forty minutes for him to perform his own material. Did I mention - the show is only about one hour long? The show is written as a series of instructions about how to act more like a Parisian to command respect when you are visiting Paris. He gets to poke fun at his fellow Parisians, as well as the antics of tourists from various countries - mostly Americans. He knows his audience, I'll say that much. The problem is that it is not well written. There just aren't enough laughs and when they come, they are weak. He relies on a lot of comic facial expressions and it gets tired after a while.
This show is designed for tourists who are desperate for something to do in the evening. They slap their money down for tickets, take the metro or a cab to the theatre, hope that it will be funny and when it is not, they try to convince the selves that it is so they don't have to admit that they wasted their money and time.
It's a shame because the concept is so darn good and it has been wasted in the hands of a mediocre writer and performer. If someone could have just run with it and given it a little wit and bite. What you get instead is a silly little string of scenarios, much of it repetitive and almost all of it quite boring.
Do yourself a favour. Don't go. Find yourself a little jazz club or go down to the many bridges and watch the street performers or buy a nice bottle of wine and get off at the Trocadero metro stop and dance with the crowds enjoying the tunes, have a ride on the carousel and admire the Eiffel Tower, twinkling on the hour. There are so many fun things to do in Paris at night. This show is not one of them!
Secondly the production value of this show is nonexistent. I have been to one person shows before but this one looked like high school students had staged it.
Finally, the show is just not very funny. He spends five minutes singing the French National Anthem, another five minutes getting people to call out where they come from and two sets of five minute segments where he calls someone up from the audience. That leaves about forty minutes for him to perform his own material. Did I mention - the show is only about one hour long? The show is written as a series of instructions about how to act more like a Parisian to command respect when you are visiting Paris. He gets to poke fun at his fellow Parisians, as well as the antics of tourists from various countries - mostly Americans. He knows his audience, I'll say that much. The problem is that it is not well written. There just aren't enough laughs and when they come, they are weak. He relies on a lot of comic facial expressions and it gets tired after a while.
This show is designed for tourists who are desperate for something to do in the evening. They slap their money down for tickets, take the metro or a cab to the theatre, hope that it will be funny and when it is not, they try to convince the selves that it is so they don't have to admit that they wasted their money and time.
It's a shame because the concept is so darn good and it has been wasted in the hands of a mediocre writer and performer. If someone could have just run with it and given it a little wit and bite. What you get instead is a silly little string of scenarios, much of it repetitive and almost all of it quite boring.
Do yourself a favour. Don't go. Find yourself a little jazz club or go down to the many bridges and watch the street performers or buy a nice bottle of wine and get off at the Trocadero metro stop and dance with the crowds enjoying the tunes, have a ride on the carousel and admire the Eiffel Tower, twinkling on the hour. There are so many fun things to do in Paris at night. This show is not one of them!
Written 24 September 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
And are we assigned any seat numbers or is it random sitting? Is there a dress code?
Written 26 September 2018
Hello,
I see that there are some tickets for Carre Or for reduced prices rather than 37 Euros, the normal one. Are they the normal tickets or is this a case of some con people?
Thank you for the reply.
Written 26 September 2018
I'm unfamiliar with the tickets from Carrefour (grocery store). The theater is very small so all seats are good. Here is the website where I bought my tickets for half off. Billet Reduc. I tried to send you the website but TripAdvisor blocked it.
The website is only in French but pretty easy to navigate with only very basic French. Enjoy the show!
Written 26 September 2018
gracematcek
El Paso, Texas
Is the content of the show appropriate for my older teenager (17 years)?
Written 23 May 2018
Not knowing your 17 year old, I would simply say that there are some jokes relating to sex and dating and mimicking of same, but this is not the show's primary focus.Most of the show deals with everyday life in Paris and covers things like how to deal with taxi drivers, waiters and shopkeepers, how to behave in restaurants and discos, and more common everyday type experiences. Some jokes are made more about relationships and attitudes of French women. No nudity. No vulgarity except one nasty French expression used to tell people off. Unless you are a prude, or totally sheltered, there is nothing shocking or too off base in this comedy show that detracts from enjoying it. Your 17 year old has probably seen and heard more on TV or in movies. This is not like the Moulin Rouge if that is what you are thinking. The show was funny.
Written 23 May 2018
Très honnêtement pour profiter ce spectacle il faut un anglais de base au minimum. Si votre ami connais aucun mot anglais, sûrement il aura du mal et vite va s'ennuyer.
Il y a certains niveaux dans l'apprentissage de langues, ses subtilités et des nuances, voilà pourquoi l'humour et les blagues sont plus compliqués dans chaque langue, haut connaissance. Après à tester!!!
Written 12 January 2018
My husband & I saw this show 7 years ago. We are thinking about going again this Feb 2018, but are wondering if it is the exact same show?
Written 4 January 2018
Hi
I went to the show once don't know If it is same show
Written 27 February 2018
can someone please indicate me about the seat categories. I don't understand what is meant by cat1 cat2 seats.
Written 12 June 2017
I'm unsure of this answer, however if you email the address on the website directly, they are quite responsive and helpful.
Written 13 June 2017
This is going to sound like a really dumb question - is the show actually 1 hour long?
Written 5 January 2017
Dear Kathie, Happy new year 2017 !! This is not a stupid question at all ahahah the show last around 1h and 10mn. Please let me know if you have anymore questions, warm regards from Paris, Claudie
Written 6 January 2017
"Log" in to Trip Advisor with your account,(you must set up an account to review). Select the hotel you would like to review and click review......Or select the Hotel that you want to look at for a reservation and put in your dates.
Written 4 February 2015
Showing results 1-8 of 8
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing