Lucca’s ‘Giglio’ Theatre, one of Italy’s oldest public theatres, dates back to the seventeenth-century and got its current name in 1817 in honour of the Bourbon dynasty whose coat of arms shows three golden lilies.
We have been regular patrons of this delightful venue for many years now and have attended some excellent productions. I have described some of these in the following posts:
This November the Teatro Del Giglio organised four public tours of its premises. We joined the first of these last week.
Since its foundation in 1688 the theatre has had a prestigious life as one of Italy’s ‘Teatri della Tradizione’. This means that, together with theatres like Venice’s La Fenice and Milan’s Alla Scala, it aims to preserve all that is best in Italian sung and spoken culture.
The present building dates from 1816 and was designed by Lazzarini for Maria Luisa di Borbone. (He was also the architect of her villa in Viareggio). In its nineteenth century zenith the theatre hosted notable performances including operas by Pacini and Rossini with conductors which included Paganini. Puccini came to the fore in 1911 when his ‘Fanciulla Del West ‘(‘Girl of the Golden West’) was performed at the Giglio. It was in the same year that the plaque to Lucca’s greatest operatic son was installed in the theatre’s foyer.
The tour included such items as the Royal Box with its salon. Our guide pointed out that, in fact, no royalty has ever graced it; even Lucca’s mayor and his guests choose to book themselves in the stalls.
Our guide told us that theatre has undergone several refurbishments and renovations which have happily preserved its appearance and, most importantly, its acoustics. In 1957, for example, the gallery was opened out at its rear to provide much increased seating. (This where we prefer to sit because of its excellent visuals).
Covid which has so drastically curtailed the life of the world’s theatres has had a positive side for ‘il Giglio’ and our guide enthusiastically pointed out the theatre’s new features installed while its performances were blacked out for over a year. Most important is the facilitation of the change from operatic to prose performances by the transformation of the first three stall rows into an orchestral pit at the touch of a button using a gigantic hidden lift mechanism. This is an operation which would previously have taken a team of operatives a whole day to carry out.
We were glad to have been part of this visit to a theatre which has contributed so much to Italy’s operatic and prose culture. With the improvements carried out, in spite of a world pandemic, we are sure that the ‘Giglio’ will continue to supply not only Luccan but world audiences with all that is best in sung, spoken and dance performances. We very much look forwards to its new productions which are listed at the theatre’s web page at:
https://www.teatrodelgiglio.it/it/
PS you may find the following theatrical terms with their Italian equivalents useful:
ATTREZZISTA [property man]
BARCACCIA [stage-box]
BATTUTA [cue]
BIS [encore]
CAMERINO [dressing room]
CAPOCOMICO [manager of a theatre company]
CARTELLONE [play-bill]
CAVALLO DI BATTAGLIA [speciality act]
COMMEDIA MUSICALE [musical]
COMMEDIA (play)
COMMEDIA LEGGERA (Comedy)
COMPARSA [extra]
COPIONE [script]
CORO [chorus]
COSTUMISTA [costume designer]
DIRITTO D’AUTORE [copyright]
DIRETTORE D’ORCHESTRA [conductor]
DIRETTORE DI SCENA [stage-manager]
DRAMMATURGO [playwright]
FARSA [farce]
FONDALE [backcloth]
FONICO [sound technician]
RIDOTTO/FOYER [foyer]
GALLERIA [circle]
LIRICA [opera]
LOCANDINA [poster]
LOGGIONE [top row of circle]
MASCHERINA [attendant, mask]
MATTATORE [spotlight chaser]
MESSINSCENA [production, mise-en-scène]
OSSATURA [outlines]
PALCO(SCENICO) [stage]
PAPERA [actor’s slip]
PERSONAGGIO [character]
PIÈCE [play]
PLATEA [stalls]
PRIMA [opening (night)]
PROSCENIO [forestage]
PROVA [rehearsal]
PROVINO [audition]
QUADRO (DI SCENA)/TABLEAU [scene]
QUARTA PARETE [fourth wall]
QUINTE [wings]
RECENSIONE [review]
REGIA [direction]
REGISTA [director]
REPLICA [repeat]
RIBALTA [apron stage]
– luci della ribalta [footlights, limelight]
– chiamare gli attori alla ribalta [to make a curtain call]
– presentarsi alla ribalta [to take a curtain call]
RIFLETTORI [spotlights]
RUOLO [role]
SCALETTA [outline]
SCENOGRAFO [set designer]
SIPARIO [curtain]
SPETTACOLO [play]
SPETTATORE [audience]
SUGGERITORE [stage prompter]
TOURNÉE [tour]
TRUCCATORE [makeup artist]
Sandra was lucky enough to see the ghost of Puccini in the theatre and took this photo of it:
