Agrandir
Agrandir
Agrandir
Alicia Alonso

THERE WAS A TIME WHEN IT WAS THE LARGEST AND MOST LUXURIOUS THEATER OF LATIN AMERICA AND THE THIRD ONE IN THE WORLD, SECOND BEST ONLY TO MILAN’S LA SCALA AND VIENNA’S OPERA HOUSE. JUST WHEN IT SEEMED TO HAVE BEEN BURNED AWAY BY TIME, THE CURTAINS OF THE GRAND THEATER OF HAVANA GO UP AGAIN TO INTRODUCE A NEW STORY.

The next time you visit this place, you won’t be welcomed by the murals at the entrance, the huge art gallery or the space where you used to have a cup of coffee, known as El Adagio. You might not find it familiar since the all-out refurbishment that started back in 2013 has changed the face of what once was the most beautiful theater of America.
“It’s one of the most important restoration works in the country’s agenda.” Those were the words of Cuba’s vice minister of culture, Julio Ballester, who points out that “most of the investment is related to imported products, since technology is one of the main aspects in a theater. So, from now on, it’s all about state-of-the-art elements here: curtain system, stage mechanics and acoustic processes.”
This is the first time the building has air-conditioned halls. The dressing rooms and external walls have been restored, as well as both elevators with the original cabins. The lobby was enhanced. It also features new pieces of furniture, rehearsal halls for dancers and the orchestra, a recording studio and over twenty dressing rooms and restrooms.
Undoubtedly, this hall wouldn’t be the same without one of its symbols: the mythical Tacon chandelier. A brand-new Bohemian-crystal lamp, courtesy of the Office of Havana City Historian, is certainly going to be an interesting allure that brings back memories of the first lamp hung at the Theater. It was a big and beautiful fine-glass lamp imported from Paris and, according to popular legends, it was damage by the public back in 1863.
The lamp will be down when the hall opens its doors. Minutes before the show, it is going to be lifted slowly as tradition dictates.
The works have been surrounded by certain buzzing rumors. Some people say that the theater is kind of leaned due to a crack on a wall, the result of a remodeling mistake. This fact has been confirmed by the theater authorities. Nonetheless, they underline: “An excavation was carried out in an effort to position the piano, since it shouldn’t be at stage level. The walls are very old and they were built with rough stone, so we’ve seen a slight tilting; but the problem has been fixed and the structure has even been improved by means of modern techniques.”  
The place where former Tacon Theater was harbored in the 1830s has gotten a new lease on life. With its 90 boxes, over 20 rows and seats for 2,000 viewers, it was the stage per excellence for the aristocracy in Havana and so it’ll be, but the audience will be made up of those who write the history of the 21st century.