This is what the facade of the Municipal Theater of Lima currently looks like (Diego Delso)

The ace artistic expressions These are the means that human beings have always had to record their passage on earth. Since the appearance of “homo sapiens”, man has always wanted to express himself in various ways.

This is why he first started painting the walls of caves in various parts of the world and now they are known as ‘cave paintings’.

Over time, these modes of expression evolved in various ways until between the 5th and 6th centuries. the greeks created the theater and everything has changed in the history of man.

This modern artistic expression has evolved to reach our time and to this part of the world to take us to new realities and leave different types of messages through the works that various authors have bequeathed to us.

Since the 20th century, Lima has possessed a very particular space in which only very well-prepared actors are called upon to perform on its sacred stage. It’s him Municipal Theater and this is its long story.

View of the Olimpo Theater at the end of the 19th century (Lima La Única)
View of the Olimpo Theater at the end of the 19th century (Lima La Única)

It was the last years of the 19th century and the brothers FElix Armando and Alberto Perez They realized that our capital lacked a suitable space for the artists of this great city, and those who visited it, to demonstrate all their talent in front of a large audience who knew how to appreciate them.

That is why, together with the tenor Antonio Mojardín, they managed to build the Olimpo Theater on an old estate known as Villain what is now the fourth block of Ica Street in the heart of Lima.

This new Olimpo theater had boxes, galleries, seats, cocottes and hidden boxes in a single order. The stage was 10 meters wide by 11 deep and 11.5 meters high.

Its inauguration took place on April 30, 1886 with the operetta ‘La Mascota’ of the French Edward Audreywho was also responsible for making known, especially in the first years of the life of the Association des Artistes Amateurs (AAA), the animator Corina Garland.

The star of this staging, which achieved unusual success and remained on the billboards for a long time, was the Peruvian actress Teresa Bolívar, of the company Mojardín, owned by the director Antonio Mojardin. After the end of the season of this charming operetta, Mojardín sold the part that corresponded to him to the Pérez brothers already named.

He Theater “Olympus” He became famous for his ‘tandas’, the same ones that were just hour-long performances of zarzuela. A genre that was all the rage in Lima at that time.

This is how the newspaper La Prensa reported the inauguration of the Forero Theater, which later became the Municipal Theater of Lima.  (Forero Family Collection)
This is how the newspaper La Prensa reported the inauguration of the Forero Theater, which later became the Municipal Theater of Lima. (Forero Family Collection)

After 29 long years of ardent activity, on July 5, 1915, the Olympus he said goodbye to his audience as his teardown began. It was not until 1918 that what would be known as the Forero Theater began. This is in tribute to the effort made to make it happen like this, don Manuel Maria Forero. It is thanks to its modern vision that Lima will finally have a theater that lives up to its status as a large city.

It so happened that the original Tacna lawyer considered that the old municipal theater was of insufficient size for the large crowd who struggled to get to the various events offered by large companies at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th.

The Peruvian engineer was in charge of the demolition of the ‘Olimpo’ and the construction of the new bullring Alfred Viale. It was precisely he who gave him these European architectural concepts.

The work took him five years, although the facade was not completed until 1938, as was the golden room on the second floor. On the front you could see a tribute to the three of history’s greatest musicians as they are Beethoven, Wagner and Liszt. The cost was 240,000 Peruvian pounds.

Announcement of the arrival of Enrico Caruso before he canceled his concert due to the police investigation that led to the theft of his wife's jewellery, 1920. (Collection of Miguel Molinari)
Announcement of the arrival of Enrico Caruso before he canceled his concert due to the police investigation that led to the theft of his wife’s jewellery, 1920. (Collection of Miguel Molinari)

After overcoming all kinds of delays and vicissitudes that appeared along the way, both economically and architecturally, the indefatigable Mr. Forero managed to inaugurate the apple of his eye July 28, 1920.

And the party was great since the participation of the opera company Brecale was carried out, led by the superstar of the moment Henry Caruso (something like the Bad Bunny of the time).

But because the Italian tenor suffered an incident in Havana Cuba (his wife had expensive jewelry stolen); he was ultimately unable to appear in the Peruvian capital.

During the inauguration ceremony, Manuel María Forero said: “I wanted to give myself the pleasure of building a great theater that I dedicate, not only to the city of Lima, but to all Peru”.

Barely nine years later, more precisely a June 24, 1929, the Municipality of Lima buys the Forero Theater and renames it Municipal Theater. The one who previously bore this name, and who is in the jirón of Huancavelica, has now been given the name of Manuel Ascensio Segurawhich he still retains.

After its renovation after the fire of 1998, the municipal theater of Lima is more beautiful than ever (Andina)
After its renovation after the fire of 1998, the municipal theater of Lima is more beautiful than ever (Andina)

Fatality was not absent from this place since the August 1998 a large fire during rehearsals for a show nearly caused its total destruction, fortunately the fire did not cause significant damage to its structure.

They had to pass ten long years for the authorities to begin its reconstruction, until finally the October 11, 2010 it was reopened completely restored and renovated.

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