Simon-Max


Nicolas-Marie Simon, known as Simon-Max, was a French tenor, mainly active in Paris in the field of opera-bouffe.
After musical studies in Reims he made his debut in 1875 at the Théâtre de la Renaissance as Janio in La reine Indigo then on 9 September that year at the Théâtre des Folies-Dramatiques as Anatole de Quillembois in Les cent vierges by Lecocq.
At the Folies-Dramatiques he went on to sing in the premieres of Les cloches de Corneville, 17 April 1877, La fille du tambour-major, December 13, 1879 and Madame Favart, December 28, 1878.
Other premieres included Cottinet in Le petit Parisien, Inigo in La princesse des Canaries, Ischabod in the French premiere of Rip, Planchet in Les petits mousquetaires, Michel in Fanfan la tulipe,, Joseph Abrial in La fauvette du temple, and singing in revivals of La fille de Madame Angot among others. He created Zizi in Ali-Baba in Brussels alongside his wife in 1887.
Simon-Max then worked at the Théâtre du Châtelet, at the Gaité, at the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens.
Further appearances included the Théâtre de la Renaissance ; and at the Théâtre Dejazet.
While the proprietor of the casino in Villerville, a whale was beached which Simon-Max bought, selling the oil and flesh before conserving the skin and converting the body to a theatre large enough to take 100 in the audience. The bizarre character of the Théâtre Baleine helped the success of a show entitled « Jonas Revue ». The whale theatre was moved to Paris, but burnt down the following winter.
He was the founding director of the Prévoyance théâtrale.
During the run of Les cloches de Corneville he met and married the young soprano lead Juliette Simon-Girard.