Zinzinia Theater Club
"The first theater where I set foot, written in 1936 the academician Jacques de Lacretelle in" The literary, artistic and scientific news "is the Zizinia theater, a charming name that is reminiscent of a humming bird or to a sherbet and that never came out of my memory. "
"There is perhaps no city in the world where the taste of music is more developed than in Alexandria, says in a less allegorical manner H. Bernard, secretary of the Inspector General of the Compagnie de Suez. No sooner does the night cast its shadow over the city, than one hears at every street corner the sounds, sometimes discordant, of musical instruments whose owners seem to come out of the ground as if by magic! It seems as if the European society of Alexandria, tired of the commercial preoccupations of the day, invites each evening, at the same time, to a great musical festival, all that knows how to hold an instrument, in order to diversion to its monotonous existence! (...) Add to that two great theaters and the three or four cafes-concerts that enamel the city, and you will recognize that there are few cities, even in Italy, where we make a greater consumption of doubles crooked to Alexandria.
The Rossini Theater, now called the Debbane Theater, named after its owner, count and consul general of Brazil, was erected seven or eight years ago by a society of Italian merchants, lovers of good music, who wanted to establish Egypt the tastes of their mother country. (...) Then comes the Zizinia Theater, which also bears the name of its owner, Count and Consul General of Belgium, where a few months ago the entire society of Alexandria, weaned of good music for a long time, gathered to applaud, as he deserves, the magnificent talent of Mrs. Urban, an ascending star, called to many other successes on the great scenes of Europe. Built in stone and on a larger square than the Rossini Theater, - I mean Debbane, - it is destined to be very successful the next winter, if Cairo does not retain the monopoly of royal favors, what we would like us to hope. "(" Itinerary for the Isthmus of Suez and the Great Cities of Egypt ", 1869) The setting thus planted, a brief flashback on the history of this high place of Alexandrian culture. In 1862 (1863?), Count Etienne Zizinia, a well-known cotton merchant and Belgian consul in Alexandria, entrusted the construction of "his" theater on the rue Rosette to the Italian architect Pietro Avoscani, who immigrated to Egypt in 1837, will make a long career in this country. The architectural style of the building is inspired by that of Milan's opera house, the famous "Scala". The facade is decorated with clay bricks made by the Milanese company Andrea Boni.
Unfortunately, the foundations of the building, poorly studied, are "precarious". In addition - a shame for the purpose of such a building! - the acoustics are bad and the fire resistance does not comply with the most basic constraints. So what happened happened: the theater was destroyed in 1916, after a little more than half a century of existence. It has, however, had the privilege of being the first large theater built in Egypt, accommodating some 2,000 spectators. During its too short existence, "Zizinia" has had an intense activity and known its moments of glory. According to "The Archives of the Romantic Century", the lyric drama "Proserpine" of Camille Saint-Saëns was represented there in February 1902. Coming back to the golden age of Italian opera, Giacomo Puccini attended a performance of his opera in three acts "Madame Butterfly". More modest than the performance of the great Sarah Bernhardt who will perform there twenty years later, the comic opera of Robert Planquette "The Bells of Corneville" was nevertheless a great success in 1885, before "a large number of spectators ".
Another milestone in the history of the theater was Mustafa Kamel Pasha, founder and leader of the Egyptian Nationalist Party, who delivered his keynote speech on October 22, 1907. "Zizinia! reads in "Nahar Misraim: newsletter of the Association for the Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage of the Jews of Egypt". Illustrious house! temple of our worldly glories, which affected the beauty of women Alexandria grateful. A comical and magnificent box, overflowing with red plush and golden tassels. " "The theater that Count Zizinia has built, and to which he gave his name, could look good in any great city in Europe," said Paul Ferry, editor-in-chief of "La Comedie" (1865) . Nothing is forgotten for the convenience of the spectators, and the ornaments of the room are rich and of the best taste. The sets were admired and applauded; especially that of the Nuns' scene. This decor is a reduction of that of the Grand-Opéra de Paris. "
As for the French feminist writer Olympe Audouard, she testifies to a more nuanced craze: "Alexandria has two theaters, where we play Italian opera: one, the Rossini theater, is badly built, it is in wood, but the singers are good enough; the other is a tall pink building, bearing the name of its owner, Zizinia, at the top. It is quite well cut, Italian, freshly and richly decorated, but the troupe is not the best; yet it takes indulgence, it is the first year that this theater is open. It may be called the theater of the aristocracy of the crowns, because it is hardly affordable for these gentlemen. Judge if the poor world, those who do not have 100,000 francs a year, can go there: a lodge costs the modest sum of 80 francs, and with that one must still pay the entry 9 fr. 50 cents. per person. Add a car to go, because this theater is out of town, the car to come back: twenty francs to go, as much to come back, which makes an evening at the theater Zizinia costs 130 francs. It's expensive for those who do not do business in cotton! "(" The mysteries of Egypt unveiled ", 1865)