UAE gift helps French palace reopen ‘forgotten theatre’
19th-century theatre bears Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed’s name after restoration
An exquisite 19th-century French theatre outside Paris that fell into disuse for one and a half centuries has been restored with the help of a €10 million donation from Abu Dhabi.
The Napoleon III theatre at Fontainebleau Palace south of Paris was built between 1853 and 1856 under the reign of the nephew of emperor Napoleon I.
It opened in 1857 but was used only a dozen times, which has helped preserve its gilded adornments, before being abandoned in 1870 after the fall of Napoleon III. But during a state visit to France in 2007, President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan was reportedly entranced by it and offered €10 million (Dh41.2 million) on the spot for its restoration.
After a project that has lasted 12 years, the theatre is now being reopened.
An official inauguration is expected soon, hosted by French Culture Minister Franck Riester and attended by Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Close relations
Now called the Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Theatre, it is the latest example of the close relations between Paris and Abu Dhabi. The UAE capital already hosts the Louvre Abu Dhabi, opened by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and President Emmanuel Macron in 2017, the first foreign institution to carry the name of the great Paris museum.
For all its ornate beauty, the theatre has hardly ever been used for its original purpose, hosting only a dozen performances between 1857 and 1868, each attended by around 400 people.
“While it had been forgotten, the theatre was in an almost perfect state,” said the head of the Fontainebleau Palace, Jean-Francois Hebert. “Let us not waste this jewel, and show this extraordinary place of decorative arts,” he added.
According to the palace, the theatre is “probably the last in Europe to have kept almost all its original machinery, lighting and decor.”
Having such a theatre was the desire of Napoleon III’s wife Eugenie. But after his defeat, his capture and the declaration of the Third Republic, the theatre fell into virtual oblivion.
‘Fragile structure’
Following the renovation, the theatre will be a place to visit and admire, rather than for regular concerts.
“The aim is not to give the theatre back to its first vocation” given its “very fragile structure”, said Hebert.
Short shows and recitals may be performed in exceptional cases, under the tightest security and fire regulations. But regular guided tours will allow visitors to discover the site, including the stage sets.
The restoration preserved 80 per cent of the original material. The opulent central chandelier — three metres high and 2.5 metres wide — has been restored to its original form.