Listings -- Announcements of shows, concerts, and operas are plastered on kiosks all over town. You'll find listings in the weekly Pariscope, an entertainment guide with a section in English, or the English-language bimonthly Boulevard. Performances start later in Paris than in London or New York -- from 8 to 9pm -- and Parisians tend to dine after the theater. You may not want to do the same, because many of the less expensive restaurants close as early as 9pm.
Tickets -- There are many ticket agencies in Paris, most near the Right Bank hotels. Avoid them if possible. You can buy the cheapest tickets at the box office of the theater or at discount agencies that sell tickets at discounts of up to 50%. One is the Kiosque Théâtre, 15 place de la Madeleine, 8e (no phone; Métro: Madeleine), offering leftover tickets for about half price on the performance day. Tickets for evening shows are sold Tuesday to Friday from 12:30 to 8pm and Saturday from 2 to 8pm. Tickets for matinees are sold Saturday from 12:30 to 2pm and Sunday from 12:30 to 4pm. Other branches are in the basement of the Châtelet-Les Halles Métro station and in front of Gare Montparnasse.
Students with ID can often get last-minute tickets by applying at the box office an hour before curtain time.
The easiest (and most expensive) way to get tickets, especially if you're staying in a first-class or deluxe hotel, is to ask your concierge to arrange for them. A service fee is added, but it's a lot easier if you don't want to waste precious hours in Paris trying to secure often hard-to-get tickets.
Tickets for festivals, concerts, and the theater are easy to obtain through one of these locations of the FNAC record store chain: 136 rue de Rennes, 6e (tel. 01-49-54-30-00; Métro: St. Placide), or in the Forum des Halles, 1-7 rue Pierre-Lescot, 1e (tel. 01-40-41-40-00; Métro: Châtelet-Les Halles).
A Stateside Ticket Agency--Selling tickets to cultural events throughout Europe, Globaltickets (formerly Edwards & Edwards) maintains headquarters in the United States at 234 W. 44th St., Suite 1000, New York, NY 10036 (tel. 800/223-6108; www.keithprowse.com). Its Paris office is at 7 rue de Clichy, 9e (tel. 01-42-81-88-88; Métro: Place Clichy). The company will mail tickets (usually in the form of a voucher) to you, or they'll fax you a confirmation, and leave tickets at the box office for pickup prior to the performance. There's a markup of about 25% over box-office prices on each ticket, which includes the handling charges. The organization is particularly good at acquiring tickets to either of the Paris opera houses, to any of the big-league cabarets (including the Moulin Rouge, Crazy Horse, and Chez Michou), and to any of the sightseeing tours or cruises recommended within this guidebook. Hotel packages are also available.
The Music of Angels--Some of the most moving music in Paris echoes through its churches, with sounds that can take you back to the Middle Ages. At Eglise de St-Eustache, rue Rambuteau (tel. 01-42-36-31-05; Métro: Les Halles), High Mass with the organ playing and the choir singing is at 11am on Sunday. In summer, concerts are played on the organ, marking the church's role in holding the premiere of Berlioz's Te Deum and Liszt's Messiah in 1886. Tickets to these special concerts sell for 12€ to 26€.
The American Church in Paris, 65 quai d'Orsay, 7e (tel. 01-40-62-05-00; Métro: Invalides or Alma-Marceau), sponsors free concerts from September to June on Sunday at 6pm. You can also attend free concerts at Eglise St-Merri, 78 rue St-Martin, 4e (tel. 01-42-71-40-75; Métro: Hôtel-de-Ville). These performances are staged with variables based on the availability of the performers, from September to July on Saturday at 9pm, and again on Sunday at 4pm.
