It has played host to plays (including those staged by Prithviraj Kapoor's Prithvi Theatre) and later became a cinema house...famous for the long runs enjoyed by many of the movies screened there.
My mother's family lived in the building right behind the theatre; and she had told me how the Kapoors used to borrow flower-pots from them for the plays. Since she was pretty and an accomplished Indian classical dancer, they even offered her a role in their movie "Barsaat"! My grandfather said NO...and the role was eventually played by Nimmi.
As a child, when I visited my grandparents' home for dinner, I remember being able to hear bits of the late night movie-show; and saw a fair number of films in the Opera House. Although it was not air-conditioned, the theatre was still a great place for movies.
An edited version of the following article was published by Seen and Heard International here:
http://seenandheard-international.com/2017/07/the-royal-opera-house-in-mumbai-is-restored-to-its-former-glory/
(Also apparently available via a link on http://theoperacritic.com/ which can be accessed only by a paid subscription).
Inaugurated in 1911 by
King George V, the Royal Opera House in Bombay (now called Mumbai) was the only
one of its kind in this part of the world.
During the early part of
the last century, it played host to performances of opera; and thereafter to
plays and concerts of both Indian and Western music. It was modified in 1935 to
allow cinema; and, in this avatar, eventually became one of the most famous
movie palaces in Bombay screening Bollywood hits, many of which ran for over a
year.
After its closure in
1993, the building was in a state of dilapidation. Since it was deemed a
“heritage” structure, the government initiated a project of restoration in
2008, in collaboration with an Indian royal family who are the current owners
of the opera house.
The restoration was
carried-out by an Indian conservation-architect, with painstaking attention to
Baroque detail, preserving the ornate carvings, paintings and embellishments in
the auditorium and its foyer, returning the Italian marble and crystal
chandeliers to their former glory.
The auditorium of the
opera-house, with its colour-scheme of red, cream and gold, bears a faint
resemblance (perhaps not surprisingly) to that of its namesake in London. In
fact, it could well be seen as a miniature of the latter, although the pit here
is covered and under the stage, not open and in front of the proscenium. The
theatre has two balconies and 574 seats; the boxes on the side are now merely
decorative, though there still are four “Royal boxes” at the rear of the
stalls.
The covered pit is small
indeed, perhaps too small, capable of accommodating only twenty musicians, with
a wooden shell behind. Extending it to the front could only be achieved after
extensive restructuring, which may not be in keeping with the priorities of
restoration. However, this obviously restricts the kind of repertoire that
could be staged here successfully, which would probably be limited to works
with light scoring (or can be managed with pared-down orchestration) such as
Baroque opera, some Mozart and lightweight bel
canto…or perhaps operetta.
Another drawback is the newly-installed
air-conditioning, which blows air into the auditorium with an audible “whoosh”
rather than letting it drop down noiselessly. In practice, however, one gets
used to this sound which makes its presence felt only during softer music.
The auditorium’s most
significant strength is its acoustic: lush, warm and very kind to voices. These
are given somewhat more prominence over the orchestra, which is not surprising,
considering the limited number of players in the pit. One would imagine it is an
easy space for singers, who would conceivably require less effort to project
fuller tone.
The stage itself is quite
adequate, having decent depth and width; and with a modern lighting system. In
fact, ever since its re-opening in October 2016, the opera-house has been used
to stage several plays; and is slowly becoming recognised as a viable venue by
theatre groups in the city.
Now, for the first time
in nearly a century, the house is back to its original purpose with the staging
of a full-length opera, Il Matrimonio
Segreto by Cimarosa. Since the house doesn’t have its own opera company,
this was presented by the Giving Voice Society, an organisation headed by the
Indian-born soprano, Patricia Rozario. She and her husband, pianist Mark Troop,
visit India thrice a year to conduct intensive workshops for local singers; and
thus provide a much-needed service, considering the paucity of voice-teachers
in this country.
The opera was given a
more than competent performance by Ms Rozario’s students and other singers of
Indian origin. The staging was minimalistic, updating the action to what looked
like a fin de siècle scenario.
One is happy to know that
Giving Voice is not the only group staging opera with home-grown performers.
The Neemrana Foundation has been doing so for some time now, presenting operas
with Indian themes or about the Indian sub-continent (including a superb Les Pêcheurs des Perles). Late last
year, they staged a delectable potpourri of excerpts from such works right
here, in the Royal Opera House, Mumbai. It is good to see these organisations
take the time, money and effort to nurture and develop local talent, unlike
others with far greater resources who prefer instead to import from abroad.
The ROHM has to be a
multi-purpose theatre by way of necessity, since opera alone would not be sufficient
for it to sustain itself, at the moment. Until that day arrives, it is a
much-needed addition to this city’s cultural life, which has been trying to
overcome a near-monopolistic situation.
So its welcome back,
indeed.
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