Krasnodar Musical Theater is a musical theater in the city of Krasnodar. Since 2002, it has been a member of the Krasnodar Creative Association Premiere named after Leonard Grigorievich Gatov. There are two theater groups in the building: the Musical Theater and the Yuri Grigorovich Ballet Theater, as well as the Big Band of Georgy Garanyan; State Kuban ensemble "Krinitsa"; State Kuban Brass Band and Children's Studio of the Musical Theater.

History

The year of the foundation of the theater is considered to be 1933 when the Armavir city theater of musical comedy named after Lunacharsky was created from an operetta enterprise. In 1934, with the separation from the North Caucasian Territory of the Azov-Black Sea Territory, the theater was renamed the Azov-Black Sea Musical Comedy. By the 1935-1936 season, the theater's repertoire included about 20 performances. Among them: the operettas "Blue Mazurka", "Gypsy Love", "Mademoiselle Nitouche", "Gypsy Premier", "Geisha", "The Last Chardash", "The Merry Widow", "Servant", "Rose-Marie". The chief director was A. Elisavetsky, the conductor was E. Iskander, the artistic director was A. Edigarov. The acting troupe included Leonid Orlov, Alexander and Elvira Alexandrov, Pavel Gerasimov, Evgeny Tumanov, Evgeny Kurochkin, Antonina Boyarskaya. An integral part of the performances was ballet, which was separately indicated in the posters: eccentric and Egyptian dances ("Gypsy Premier"), "Zhzhenka", "Russian", "Troika" from "Servant".

In 1937, the Krasnodar Territory was formed, and the theater changed its name to the Krasnodar Theater of Musical Comedy and moved to Krasnodar. The theater is located in a building that was specially built by the merchant Likhatsky for theatrical performances. It was located at the corner of Krasnaya and Dlinnaya streets. The theater building was decorated with classic frescoes, and a special apparatus illuminated it in the form of the northern lights. There was also a multi-colored illumination in the hall. The Krasnodar theatrical season opened in 1937 with the operetta The Servant.

In 1937-1938 the theater renews its repertoire. "Sorochinskaya Yarmarka" and "Columbine" by A. Ryabov, "Wedding in Malinovka" and "The Hundredth Tiger" by B. Aleksandrov and others. The theater includes director Nikolai Edigarov. On August 12, 1942, the occupation of the city of Krasnodar by German troops began. On February 10, theater buildings were blown up by retreating German units. The musical comedy was collected only in 1944. In 1945 Andronic Isagulyan became the director. The repertoire includes I. Kalman, F. Lehar, I. Strauss, I. Dunaevsky, B. Alexandrov, Y. Milyutin.

In 1954, the theater moved again, it was located in the premises of the former cinema "Colossus" on the street. Red, 44. In 1952-1956. the chief director of the theater was Fyodor Kovrovsky. In 1956 Matvey Osherovsky became the chief director of the theater. In 1960, for the first time, the theater went on a large tour to Moscow. In 1964, the reconstruction of the theater began, which turned into the construction of a new building. The author of the project of the new theater for 1432 seats was the architect A.V. Titov.

On November 6, 1966, the theater moved to a new building, which was erected in the same place, and received a new name - the Krasnodar Regional Operetta Theater. Among the productions of this time: "At Dawn", "Black Dragon", "Gypsy Love". In 1969, the theater director Andronik Isagulyan and conductor Mikhail Kirakosov, who had headed the theater since 1947, left the theater. In 1959, the chief choirmaster Valentin Trembach came to the theater. In the works of this time - "Frasquita", "Gypsy Love", "Violet of Montmartre", "Gypsy Baron", "Lyre and the Sword" - the chorus is especially noticeable. In 1972, the theater was headed by director Julius Khmelnitsky and conductor Erich Rosen. Among the performances: "The Merry Widow", "Bayadere", "The Bat".

Modern era

On October 1, 1997, a decree was signed to change the status of the regional operetta theater, it became the Krasnodar Musical Theater. In mid-January 2002, by the decision of the Krasnodar Territory administration, the musical theater became part of the Krasnodar State Creative Association "Premiere". In fact, it was headed by the General Director of Premiera, People's Artist of Russia Leonard Gatov.

The building was reconstructed. Renovation work in the building began in March and the theater opened its doors to the audience for the new season. The auditorium was completely reconstructed, the orchestra pit was enlarged, and one of the main goals was to improve the acoustics. All stage lighting has been replaced, the foyer and the building facades have been reconstructed, the adjacent territory has been landscaped, ballet halls have been built, and art rooms throughout the building have been repaired. The reconstructed theater opened on August 31, 2002, with the premiere of Dmitry Shostakovich's ballet The Golden Age by the Yuri Grigorovich Ballet Theater. A week later, the premiere of the opera "Carmen" by J. Bizet staged by the St. Petersburg director A. Stepanyuk and conductor Vladimir Ziva took place. 

Two weeks later, Krasnodar residents saw the premiere of Tchaikovsky's opera Eugene Onegin staged by the artistic director of the Helikon-Opera, Honored Art Worker of Russia Dmitry Bertman and People's Artist of Russia, chief conductor of the Kuban Symphony Orchestra Vladimir Ponkin.