Havana Gran Teatro de La Habana
About Gran Teatro de La Habana
The Gran Teatro de La Habana is an extraordinary complex and one of the oldest theatres in the western hemisphere. The external façade boasts beautiful allegorical sculptures by Giuseppe Moretti depicting benevolence, education, music and theatre. It has suffered many minor and major alterations over the years and presently illustrates a German neo-baroque architectural style.
In 1834 there was only one theatre in Havana called Principal that had a limited capacity. General Tacón asked his friend Francisco Marty Torrens to build another theatre to cater to thousands more people. As an incentive he offered as much government assistance as possible.
Marty had to pay out 200,000 pesetas for the project, on top of which, he was given labourers and extra materials.
The new theatre was constructed on the corner of the Paseo del Prado and San Rafael Street. Although it was located outside the main walls it was nevertheless situated at Monserrate Gate and the park where the statue of Isabel II was. Pezuela said of it at the time that it had the structure, elegance and capacity of the Real Madrid Theatre and Liceo of Barcelona.
It was inaugurated on the 15th of April 1838 and opened to the acclaimed play Don Juan de Austria o vocación, although on the 28th of February they had already celebrated the opening with a festival.
Its capacity could take 2,000 spectators but up to another 500 could be squeezed in. The main room was famous for its acoustics, a monumental chandelier, but also for its spacious stage. It boasted a four sided gabled roof and faced on to the Almedia. The main entrance was constructed from Doric columns of three arches over adjacent pillars, which were simple in the centre and doubled towards the edges.
In 1849, it’s recorded here that Florentine Antonio Meucci conducted the first ever experiments of electrical transmissions of human voice, therefore leading soon after to the birth of the telephone by Marconi.
Marty sold the building in 1857 for 750,000 pesetas to the Compañía Anónima del Liceo de La Habana. This new company then closed the theatre between 1858-1859 to upgrade and make changes. They substituted the roof for a two gabled one. Unfortunately, the new owners then ran into financial problems and the theatre returned to Marty family who then sold it on again to Messrs. Silveira and Cevallos.
In March 2005 this model of the theatre was made by Jorge Gonzalez Acosta, Gabriel Rodriguez Coscalla and Elizardo Morales Vera.
In 1910, when the society Centro Gallego de La Habana was established they bought the Tacón with the conditions that they had to respect the internal configuration of the theatre and those modifications that they did implement failed to do justice to the overall acoustics of this spectacular hall.
The main hall here is called the García Lorca Auditorium with seating for 1,500. It’s often host to the Cuban National Ballet Company and many other acclaimed performances.
A plaque on the wall before the main hall celebrates the prima ballerina Alicia Alonso who danced here in the ballet Giselle in 1993, 50years after making her debut in the Met in New York. It was on her initiative in 1985 that the building was renamed to the Gran Teatro de La Habana – Great Theater of Havana.
At the very back is where government ministers including the President Fidel Castro would sit on the odd occasions that they visit this theatre.
Back towards the entrance once again past the wide sweeping marble stairs is a few other items of note. Antique furniture decorates the hallways. The Grandfather clock in the corner is particularly valuable and has been estimated at 100,00 dollars.
References
Juan de las Cuevas Toraya, 500 Años De Construcciones En Cuba, Havana 2001, pp93-94.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Theater_of_Havana