When the republic was established in 1902, Cuban lyric theater was known in some localities on the island, for which several theaters were built. They were visited by numerous artists and featured Spanish zarzuelas, Italian and French operas, and soloists from various European countries. Also at that time, works by Cuban authors began to be known, giving life to these theaters.
Cuba is one of the Latin American countries that has carried out systematic work on lyrical art. It also boasts works written for stage by great composers such as Ernesto Lecuona, Gonzalo Roig, and Rodrigo Prats.
Ernesto Lecuona organized a lyric theater company with which he premiered several of his works, including the opera El Sombrero de Yarey and the zarzuela El Cafetal. All of them feature Cuban themes, with scores that blend the style of the Spanish zarzuela with the Cuban rhythms that enliven the dramatic action.

Cuban zarzuelas differed significantly from their Spanish counterparts. They showcased images, characters, and customs from the colonial era, utilizing the wealth of Cuban music.

In 1927, the golden age of Cuban zarzuela began with Niña Rita or Havana of 1830, by Ernesto Lecuona and Eliseo Grenet. In 1930, María la O premiered at the Payret Theater (Prado and San Martín (San José) Old Havana, Havana City) in Havana, with music by Ernesto Lecuona and a libretto by Gustavo Sánchez Galárraga. At the Martí Theater, in 1932, Cecilia Valdés by Gonzalo Roig and a libretto by Agustín Rodríguez and José Sánchez premiered. And in 1936, also at the Martí Theater, Amalia Batista by Rodrigo Prats and Agustín Rodríguez premiered. These make up the golden trilogy of Cuban zarzuela.

Cecilia Valdés, composed in the style of the Spanish zarzuela grande, is very famous, but it revealed a strong Cuban quality in its music and plot, as well as the forms, genres, and rhythms of traditional Cuban music. Its score reveals Roig’s talent for theatrical production.
The National Lyric Theater of Cuba, currently directed by tenor Adolfo Casas, maintains the repertoire of Spanish zarzuela, which has a strong influence in Latin America, and the universal operatic repertoire. Cuban lyric poetry is on the rise on South American stages, especially during the lyric art festivals held in Bogotá, Colombia. Among the repertoire performed by our lyric theater are Bizet’s opera Carmen, the Spanish zarzuelas Luisa Fernanda by Moreno Torroba and La del Soto del Parral by Soutullo y Vert. We should also mention The Legend of the Kiss and The Court of the Pharaoh.
Cuban zarzuela is a significant component of our archipelago’s musical heritage, constantly in the national audience’s favor.