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main >> kiev theaters >> kiev operetta theater

Address: Bolshaya Vasilkovskaya street, 53/3

Tel.: +38(044) 287 26 30

How to get: go to metro station Respublicansky stadium, go a little downwards

Operetta theater

Kiev State Operetta Theater is located in the building of former Troitsky People’s house. The building of People’s house was constructed for charitable means in the beginning of 20 century. Long before Theater foundation, various concerts and even performances-vaudevilles were held here. Operetta Theater began working in 1934 under the name of Kiev Theater of Musical Comedy. Much later, in 1964 Theater was renamed into Kiev State Operetta Theater.

Word "operetta" is French and means: small opera. Operetta is a genre in which music, vocal, dance, actor's art and elements of variety are united.

Operetta "Bird seller" of K.Tsekler became the first performance presented to spectators by the actors of Kiev Theatre of Musical Comedy. This event occurred in December, 1935. The best specimens of world operetta were the following in theatre repertoire: I.Strauss's "Bat", F.Legar’s "Gipsy love", Z.Offenbach’s "Bluebeard".

In 1938 in Kiev Operetta Theater, a significant event happened – it was a brilliant opening night of modern (for that time) Ukrainian operetta "Wedding in Malinovka". The operetta succeeded and became the basis of the film of the same name. In the end of 20 century an argument about the operetta authorship flared up. The play, staged in Kiev Operetta Theater for many seasons, was written by Alexey Ryabov. In the same time, on Moscow stage and in the film Boris Aleksandrov was mentioned as author. Only researches, armed with archival documents, can make things clear (both scores are stored in the library named after Vernadsky in Kiev), but it is known that music "Wedding in Zoryanka" (the primary source) of Alexey Ryabov was written previously. Academician, Doctor of Arts U. Stanishevsky mentions in his book "Coryphaeus of Ukrainian opera" that " Aleksandrov’s music is based on thematic material and song intonations of Ryabov’s score".

During Great Patriotic War, Kiev Operetta Theatre was evacuated to Kazakhstan. In Alma-Ata the theatre opened its first war season.

During the existence of Kiev Operetta Theatre a lot of talented people worked there. Alexey Ryabov, the author of known Ukrainian operettas "Sorochinskaya fair", "Wedding in Malinovka", "Blue stone" and others, was the main conductor of the theatre. On the theatre scene classical Ukrainian vaudevilles "Natalka-Poltavka" of N.Lysenko, "Matchmaking in Goncharovka" of K.Stetsenk, "For two hares" V.Rozhdestvensky were played. But not only music of Ukrainian composers sounded inside Operetta Theater walls. "Bat" and "Night in Venice" of I.Strauss, "Silva" and " Princess of Circus" I.Kalman, "the Merry widow" of F.Legar and many other masterpieces of world operetta.

Now there are almost 20 performances of different genres in repertoire of Kiev Operetta Theater: operettas, musicals, musical comedies, musical fairy tales. In 2004 operetta of the genre founder Jacque Offenbach "Party with Italians" opened a chamber stage "Theatre in foyer".