Teatro de la Zarzuela

The Teatro de la Zarzuela is a music theater in the Spanish capital Madrid. It is mainly used for performances of classic zarzuela, a traditional Spanish genre of musical theater, has the similarity with the operetta.

History

It was inaugurated on October 10, 1856, the date of the 26th birthday of Queen Isabel II of Spain. The architects were Jerónimo de la Gándara and José María Sánchez y Guallart. Thanks to the initiative of the Spanish Poetry Society, the Teatro de la Zarzuela very quickly became a significant venue for the performance of zarzuela.

After a major fire in 1909 the building had to be almost completely rebuilt and could only be opened in 1914. In 1998, four years after the Declaration on the monument ( Bien de Interès Cultural ), the building was renovated and rebuilt.

The horseshoe-shaped auditorium, including three floors with box seats, has 1242 seats. The theater bar is located on the first floor in the lobby area. The building has no elevator between floors.