Royal Opera House (Mumbai)

Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House
Royal Opera House (Mumbai) is located in Mumbai
Royal Opera House (Mumbai)
Location within Mumbai
General information
Architectural styleBaroque design – blend of European and Indian architectural style
Town or cityMumbai
CountryIndia
Coordinates18°57′22″N 72°48′56″E / 18.956111°N 72.815556°E / 18.956111; 72.815556
Construction started1909
Completed1912
ClientBombay Presidency
Design and construction
Architect(s)Maurice Bandmann & Jehangir Framji Karaka
Website
royaloperahouse.in

Royal Opera House, more commonly known simply as Opera House in Mumbai (formerly Bombay), is India's only surviving opera house.

Situated on Charni Road, near Girgaum Chowpatti beach, the adjective ‘Royal’ was prefixed to ‘Opera House’ to reflect the fact that its foundation stone was laid during the British Raj in 1909, and King George V inaugurated the building in 1911 while the building was still under construction. Work on the Royal Opera House was completed in 1912, although additions were made to the building up to 1915.[1][2][3] Gradually, the entire are near it began being called "Opera house", and the building began hosting plays, dramas, music concernts and gradually, Hindi films. It became a popular venue for Bollywood film shows in the 1970s and 80s.[4][5]

In the 1980s, as home video players began to get popular, cinema houses in Mumbai started to register losses. In the 1990s, with the growing popularity of cable television, cinema houses in Mumbai began to close down due to a lack of clientele. In 1993, Opera house closed down.[6]

However, after years of neglect following its closure in 1993, restoration work started in 2008. The exterior restoration was completed in 2011 and restoration was completed in 2016.[7] The area around the theatre is also referred to as the Opera House in Mumbai.[3][8] The Opera House area has many jewellery, metal and IT companies. On 21 October 2016, after a gap of 23 years, Royal Opera House hosted performance of Bombay-born British soprano Patricia Rozario and her husband, pianist Mark Troop. The private event was organised by Opera House owners Maharaja Joytendrasinhji Jadeja and Maharani Kumud Kumari Jadeja of Gondal, Gujarat.[9] In 2017, it received the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation.[10]

  1. ^ "Glorious days set to return for Royal Opera House". Express India. 23 May 2008. Archived from the original on 28 September 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2009.
  2. ^ "Plan to restore Opera House". Mid-Day. 30 May 2001. Retrieved 2 July 2009.
  3. ^ a b Deshmukh, Smita; Gangan, Surendra (1 December 2006). "State wants to take over Opera House". DNA. Diligent Media Corporation. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
  4. ^ Maskeri, Anju (22 October 2017). "Mumbai's Royal Opera House ready to get a new food and music destination". Mid-Day. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  5. ^ "5 of the oldest cinema houses in Mumbai". india.com. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  6. ^ "Regal Cinema in Mumbai". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference toi11 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Royal Opera House gets renovation nod". The Times of India, Mumbai. 23 May 2008. p. 5 (Section: Times City). Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2009.
  9. ^ "Royal Opera House Reopens". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  10. ^ "Mumbai's restored Royal Opera House bags UNESCO heritage award". Hindustan Times. 2 November 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2017.