2015 Rainforest Revisit - Part 3 -The Opera House

This was one of the places that we had visited before that I wanted to revisit.

Ground floor seating 2015 which can be removed to make a dance floor

(which was being repaired from the earthquake when we were there in 1996). I didn't take many photos because everything was shrouded with dust cloths. And the Gold Museum which we had not seen before because it was closed on Monday when we were in San Jose.

After we visited the Gold Museum, I scootered around to the front of the National Theatre and went in.

Entrance between pineapple topped posts

Three replicas - dance, fame, and music

There are three statues on the top of the National Theatre. They were taken down and casts made from the original statues, and the statues that are up there now are the copies. I don't know for sure, but I think the earthquake of 1991 might have been the reason for this. In any case, the original statues are now inside the theater. The statue of Fame is in what they call the Foyer but is really a room over the lobby where people go between acts to have a smoke.

Fame in the Foyer

According to the Theater website, this statue was on the pediment of the National Theatre until 8 June 1990. In August it was transferred to the Foyer. It underwent a thorough cleaning and molds and replicas were made of this and other sculptures by Mexican expert Jaime Bed and Miguel Saldana. On October 23, a copy from those molds took the place of the original on the pediment of the theater. Behind the statue are three arches with velvet curtains. In addition to Fame, Music is in the lobby

Music in the lobby

and there are also statues to Dance, Comedy and Tragedy in various locations. In the lobby is a Cariatide (holding a light) - a marble statue attributed to Francisco Indurini- there are four of these statues altogether.

Cariatide marble statue in lobby

Outside of the theater are other statues. . In front of the theatre are two statues: one depicts the cherished Spanish dramatist Calderón de la Barca and the other represents the legendary composer and musician, Ludwig van Beethoven. Also there is a bust of

Chopin in the garden

and a statue representing a flutist, and several other statues.

Bob bought tickets. We didn't wait for a tour - just went around by ourselves. The tours of the Theater are from Monday to Sunday, from 9 am until 4 pm every hour. I think the tour would have been good- we probably missed things,but we didn't want to wait for the next one. We were allowed to take photos without flash

Bob buying tickets

Floor pattern detail

We got two stickers to stick on ourselves and the receipt the guard at the door took. They asked us if we wanted to go the 2nd floor, and not knowing if we did, I said yes. So they took us around to a cubbyhole in the wall and there was a small elevator which the guy activated and we went up to the second floor.

The theater construction was began in 1891, supposedly to entice a famous 19th century Italian opera singer to come and perform there. It opened to the public on 21 October 1897 with a performance of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust.

Marble angels decorate the railing over the lobby

Painting by Thomas Povedano representing Industry

1896 Lamp - Alloy cast iron, bronze and glass

We looked around. This lavish theater was one of the first buildings in Central America with electric lighting, but it’s most famous for its ceiling murals

Part of the ceiling in the auditorium

Red velvet in the boxes

Central chandelier which can be lowered so they can change the light bulbs

It is made of rolled brass with gold and measures 400 cm diameter x 166cm height It was built in the Ministry of Development, Public Works Department of Costa Rica. The original hoist that let it down to the floor was manual

Stage from second floor box

Detail of the wood carving in a stall door

and we did find the erroneous banana painting we had been told about. These paintings were done by Italian artists who had never been to Costa Rica, seen a banana plantation or what the indigenous population looked like or wore.

Italian peasant picking coffee

Erroneous Banana painting

The bananas are growing pointed down on the stalk instead of as they really grow pointing up. Also the stalks (which are very heavy) were not carried across the chest as in the painting - they are carried over the shoulder

Allegory of the Coffee and Banana

This painting was was on the ₡5 bill that is no longer in circulation. It has another error in it - the coffee and bananas are show growing together. In real life, the coffee is grown at altitude while the bananas are grown at sea level where it is warmer. The paintings were outside the Foyer (people could go here in between acts) which had a flight of steps to get up to it. Bob went up there and took photos because I couldn't do it on the scooter.

Chair north and south - Approximate date: 12/06/1896

Console with mirror

Rafael Iglesias - by Gonzalo Morales Suarez c1997

Large console with mirror

The first change of tapestry was made in about 1912. The current curtains date to the most recent renovation which was in 1996. We came back down in the elevator by ourselves without needing help and looked around the first floor went to the gift shop. I saw a T-shirt that I would have gotten Lynde which said in Spanish 'calm yourself', but I could only find small ones. We had lunch at the restaurant there as we did in 1996.

Counter

Place mat

Bob's cup

Ceiling and windows

Bob had a ham and cheese sandwich and hot chocolate and I had a chicken salad sandwich and tea.

Bob's sandwich

Ceiling in the Alma Cafe- Allegory of architecture

I heard a lot of music from the plaza near the theatre so I scootered around there and there were a lot of people in costume and some of them dancing. I took a few photos in between people.

Music and Dancing

Dancers