Théâtre Antique

Théâtre Antique Review

Even less touristy than Nîmes and just as eccentric, the city of Orange (pronounced oh-rawnzh) nonetheless draws thousands every year to its spectacular Théâtre Antique, a colossal Roman theater built in the time of Caesar Augustus. The vast stone stage wall, bouncing sound off the facing hillside, climbs four stories high—a massive sandstone screen that Louis XIV once referred to as the "finest wall in my kingdom." The niche at center stage contains the original statue of Augustus, just as it reigned over centuries of productions of classical plays. Today the theater provides a backdrop for world-class theater and opera.