Renown Havana theater celebrates its 80th anniversary

HAVANA, Cuba, Mar 29 (ACN) The America Variety Theater, considered the favorite of Havana residents, is a true visual, social and cultural landmark that celebrates its 80th anniversary on March 29, proud to boast a valuable artistic legacy since its founding and that lasts over time.

Jorge Alfaro, general director of the institution, announced an online concert on May 13, which will pay tribute to the unforgettable pianist and composer Adolfo Guzman, on the occasion of the 101st anniversary of his birth.

Alfaro said that although the center will celebrate this anniversary in accordance with the hygienic and sanitary measures required by the current COVID-19 pandemic, it has planned an artistic program that will be announced when the sanitary emergency in Cuba and the rest of the world concludes.

Important Cuban and foreign stars have performed at the America Theater, including Ernesto Lecuona, Juan Formell, Rita Montaner, Ester Borja, Rosita Fornes, Lola Flores, Sara Montiel, Benny More, Josephine Baker, Alfredo Sadel and Bola de Nieve.

The America Theater, founded on March 29, 1941, from its beginnings was considered the most sumptuous cinematographic venue in the Cuban capital, where the most prominent intellectuals of the Caribbean country and a good-loving public gathered.

The beauty and sobriety of its interior and exterior architecture made it one of the most elegant theaters, with a capacity for more than 1,700 people.

A meeting place for music lovers, it offered concerts, recitals, zarzuelas, operettas, operas, humorous shows, dramas, comedies, variety shows, musical revues, dance and circus seasons, as well as major national and international events.

Witnesses of the time recall the cheers of Lola Flores and Libertad Lamarque, the latter literally carried off the stage on the shoulders of those attending her performance and carried to the nearby Hotel Lincoln where she was staying.

It is one of the most architecturally interesting works in Havana, recognized today as one of the most important theaters of the musical spectacle in the island.