[club1543502|Cirque Mousouri on Blagoveshchenskaya Street].3 photos

Built in 1908 at the corner of Blagoveshchenenskaya Street (Karl Marx Square, 28) and Dmitrievskaya Street, according to the design of architect B.N. Korneenko and at the request of G.M. Mussuri, former manager of the Nikitin Brothers Circus, the theater was originally designed to accommodate 5750 spectators. However, despite this, the circus continued to operate at a loss, and in 1912 Mussuri attempted to convert the building into an opera house. Under Korneenko’s design, the seating arrangements were modified and a new ceiling was installed under the dome. The season opened with a grand production of Verdi’s opera “Aida,” which featured renowned singers and even live camels imported from Africa. Nevertheless, poor acoustics and inadequate visibility within the theater meant that the performance was not a commercial success. Mussuri went bankrupt and soon after passed away. The building subsequently changed hands several times and was used for various performances throughout the revolution and beyond. From March 6 to 10, 1919, the Third All-Ukrainian Soviet Congress was held here, where the decision was made to join the USSR and Ukraine’s first constitution was adopted. From 1922 to 1928, it hosted the Ukrainian People’s Theatre, the Ukrainian State Soviet Theatre, and the Ukrainian State Domestic Theatre. In 1929, under the direction of architect M.L. Movshovitch, the exterior and interior designs were renovated, and Ukraine’s first permanent state theater for musical comedy was established there.