Royal Opera House: Here is all you need to know about India's only surviving Opera House

Mumbai’s Royal Opera House, more commonly popular as Opera House, is widely touted as the city’s Cultural Crown Jewel. It is the only surviving Opera House in India.

‘Royal’ was prefixed to ‘Opera House’ to reflect the fact that its foundation stone was laid during the British Raj in 1909. Its design incorporates a blend of European and Indian detailing. The theatre was fully completed only in 1916, at a total cost of INR 7.5 lakhs.

In 1908, Maurice E Bandmann, a renowned entertainer from Calcutta and Jehangir Framji Karaka, head of a firm of coal brokers drew up designs for the Royal Opera House theatre, designed in the baroque style.

the first performance was given on October 16, 1911, as a preview to a December opening to coincide with the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to Bombay.

It became a popular venue for Bollywood film shows in the 1970s and 80s. With the advent of cable television, cinema houses in Mumbai faced a setback due to the lack of clientele. This also impacted the business of Operat House too which closed shop in 1993.

However, after some years of the restoration process of the heritage structure Opera House commenced in 2008. By late 2011, exterior restoration was mostly completed.

Thereafter, the World Monuments Fund (WMF) announced the inclusion of the building in its 2012 global list and the restoration was completed in 2016. Moreover, the Royal Opera House, Mumbai received the Award of Merit in the 2017 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.

On October 21, 2016, after a gap of 23 years, Royal Opera House hosted performance of Bombay-born British soprano Patricia Rozario and her husband, pianist Mark Troop. The private event was organised by Opera House owners Maharaja Joytendrasinhji Jadeja and Maharani Kumud Kumari Jadeja of Gondal, Gujarat. It received the Award of Merit in the 2017 UNESCO Asia-Pacific Awards for Cultural Heritage Conservation.

With nascent and established voices, Indian and international artistes being showcased, 30-minute pre-recorded biweekly programs continue to take the audience on a virtual journey through the beautiful world of the performing arts.