Nel 1821, commissioned by Duchess Maria Luigia, Nicola Bettoli began the construction of the New Ducal Theater in the area of the Convent of S. Alessandro. The theater was completed in 1828 and inaugurated on May 16, 1829 with the opera Zaira composed for the occasion by Vincenzo Bellini.
The theater, later named Regio, still represents a significant example of the numerous and impressive public works carried out by the Duchess. It arose in the heart of the city, structured in a central body and two lateral wings connected to the Ducal Palace and the Church of S. Alessandro, thus becoming a place of reference and gathering in the life of the city itself, according to G.B. Niccolosi, for whom “no less than the scenic shows does the theatrical architecture need to adapt to the times and customs” (G. B. Niccolosi, 1829, p. 10). The neoclassical façade features a portico with Ionic columns topped by two bands. In the first, there are five pedimented windows placed corresponding to the intercolumns below, in the second a therm-like large window flanked by two elegant images of Fame in flight, bas-reliefs by Tommaso Bandinelli, as well as the decoration with lyre and masks that modulates the pediment crowning the building. The two lateral bodies are set back and resolved in just two orders.
The square vestibule of the theater features a coffered ceiling supported by Ionic columns and introduces the horseshoe-shaped stalls with four tiers of boxes, each with its own dressing rooms, and a gallery. The stage is vast and well-equipped, particularly elegant is the lounge covered by a vault painted by G. B. Azzi, who depicted Harmony with Bacchantes and cupids, accompanied by stuccoes and ornaments by P. Piazza, G. Smit, G. Gelati, T. Bandini and C. Rusca. On the walls are the fake bas-reliefs with mythological subjects by S. Campana. Originally the hall had a refined neoclassical decoration, as documented by Toschi’s engravings. Each tier of boxes had different stucco decorations: below aligned military trophies, then the story of Psyche, medallions with portraits of poets, garlands of flowers and fruits. The proscenium boxes were more richly decorated with images of Fame supporting acanthus trophies and portraits of illustrious men; in the proscenium arch a light clock was placed among the attributes of Phoebus and Minerva.
The transformation of the hall began, by order of Charles III of Bourbon, in 1853; architects Luigi Montecchi and Luigi Bettoli and the set designer Girolamo Magnani, appointed that same year painter and director of the theater, worked on it.
The neoclassical ornaments of the hall were replaced with richer and more sumptuous ones, and in the ceiling, already painted by Giovan Battista Borghesi, who had depicted the protagonists of the ancient and modern stage flying against a background of a starry sky, a purple band and a frieze with gilded frames were inserted. Instead, the beautiful curtain by Giovan Battista Borghesi, still existing, on which the triumph of Pallas is represented, remained intact. After electrification, introduced in 1907, and the creation of the mystical gulf in 1926, the theater did not undergo substantial modifications until 1983, the year in which the necessary restoration and conservation works began carried out “with the theater open,” that is, without interrupting the activity, throughout the nineties.
The overall project, developed by the Municipal Technical Office, realized, in successive phases, the structural consolidation of masonry of the vaults and roofs; the renovation of the old set designers’ room and the spaces of the stage tower; the restoration of the boxes, balconies, foyer and smoking room. Other interventions concerned the recovery of spaces for artists and technicians, as well as the upgrading of safety systems.
