Mikhailovskii Theater

Mikhailovskii Theater 

a theater in St. Petersburg built by the architect A. P. Briullov in the neoclassical style from 1831 to 1833; in 1859 it was rebuilt by the architect A. K. Kavos.

The theater, which opened in 1833, was first used principally as a concert hall. In the early 1860’s visiting artists from the Italian opera, German drama troupes, and French operetta companies performed there. From the late 1870’s to February 1917 a permanent French acting company performed at the theater.

The Mikhailovskii Theater was intended primarily for aristocratic and court circles, the diplomatic corps, and foreigners living in St. Petersburg. The repertoire consisted mainly of the latest fashionable plays from the Parisian stage (works by Dumas fils, V. Sardou, E. Rostand, F. H. Bataille) and classical works of French dramaturgy (Moliere, P. de Beaumarchais, V. Hugo). The outstanding French actors who performed at the Mikhailovskii Theater included G. Réjane, B. C. Coquelin, and S. Guitry.

Today the Leningrad Academic Malyi Theater of Opera and Ballet occupies the building of the former Mikhailovskii Theater.