This is my wonderful city of Madrid. I have many posts on it in my blog and never enough, I took pictures from various posts to do one on a sentimental spot for me there, This is Joy Eslava ,a place of my youth in my dear Madrid from another era. Even if older each time in the city passed by it as to remind myself of the good old days in my Madrid. Therefore, this is my new rendition to Joy Eslava or Teatro Eslava of Madrid !!! Hope you enjoy it as I.
When a young teen used to come here for theater presentations and community dances. We were eager to show off to the girls and dress to kill. Of course, there were a lot of guardians (chaperones) , then to keep an eye on us. Time has change!!! This became a very hot discothèque of the rich and famous and then not during the Movida of Madrid !! And the latest it is a theater cafe live events spot still rocking Madrid !!. However, the spot is nostalgic and makes you bring out the best in you or the young in you and now sharing stories with my young men sons! Joy Eslava or as old days Teatro Eslava in my dear Madrid !!
Joy Eslava is the name of a nightclub located in the Calle del Arenal near Puerta del Sol. Here there was a theater from the 19C until 1981 when the nightclub was inaugurated on the night of February 24, 1981. The stage and the balconies have been transformed into a dancefloor to make it a mythical place in Madrid. The Joy Eslava with the designer Philippe Starck became one of the leisure places of reference in Madrid, for a specific public and incorporating a new type of premises, the macro-disco. Starck carried out significant modifications to the historic building. One of them, the construction of an acoustic shell inside the theater to provide better sound insulation to the room. Pastellone on ceilings and walls, used in Ancient Rome; mortar for the floors and handmade terracotta for the bathrooms. Furthermore, on the outside, the façade has been rebuilt as it was before the 1980s, replacing the brown painted mortar with granite. The presence of the Goodnight lamps, designed by Starck and created by the Italian company Kartell, are inspired by traditional candles and create a magical and contemporary environment. The Theater now has avant-garde technical infrastructure, with 100 square meters of LED screens, a sound with 40,000W power, robotic spotlights and 50 motors, among other features. During the 1980s it was a place of concentration of characters from the so-called Madrid Movida and served as an occasional stage for the Spanish television musical program Aplauso, which led there stars of the moment such as Alaska and the Pegamoides, Mecano or Tino Casal. Joy Eslava has continued to host concerts, parties and various social events, with the participation of celebrities such as Roger Moore, Pedro Almodóvar, Stevie Wonder, Julio Iglesias , Ruth Lorenzo ,Michael Jackson, Pelé, Tina Turner,Roger Moore , Lola Flores, Maradona, Gina Lollobrigida, Christopher Lee ,Camilo José Cela,, and Massiel, etc.
The Teatro Eslava, opened on September 30, 1871 under the name Salón Eslava, promoted by the businessman Bonifacio Eslava, nephew of the extraordinary musician Hilarión Eslava. (the one I went several times!!!) The name comes from its first owner, Bonifacio Eslava, the venue was one of the most famous stages in Madrid. Its more than a thousand seats, Here the famous played such as Celia Gámez, Nati Mistral, Concha Velasco and Norma Duval, among others, Over the last 150 years, the Teatro Eslava theater witnessed the culture and art of the city, seeing relevant authors and figures from the political, artistic and social scene of the 20C pass by. In 1926 Celia Gámez set up her headquarters in the theater, returning her successes to the building until the military uprising of 1936 that began the Spanish civil war, at which time Gámez left the country. In 1940 Celia Gámez returned to Eslava, already as owner and businesswoman, and she remained there until the mid-1950s when the magazine genre fell into decline. A space that, in addition to housing a popular café to which a chotis was even dedicated (included in the zarzuela ‘La Gran Vía’), hosted the debuts of authors such as Ramón del Valle-Inclán, Antonio Gala and Federico García Lorca. With the latter, the theater has a close and long-standing relationship, given that it was where he premiered his first work, ‘El maleficio de la Mariposa’, in 1920. Forty years later, the then owner Luis Escobar (the Marqués de las Marismas) ;organized Lorca’s first premiere in a commercial theater after the Spanish Civil War with ‘Yerma’. Finally, in 1978, theater director Miguel Narros made history by bringing ‘Así que pasen cinco años’ or five years pass like this, to the stage for the first time. In short, Teatro Eslava is undoubtedly one of the most legendary leisure and cultural venues in Madrid Until 1981, when it was converted into a nightclub.
Joy Eslava, the historic nightclub on Calle Arenal, closed temporarily to become a restaurant-performance venue , The remodeling of Joy Eslava promises to mark the beginning of a new stage in the Madrid nightlife, becoming one of the most spectacular and avant-garde venues in Europe, incorporating the latest equipment and more innovative services, Nowdays, re-openned in 2022 to offer leisure and entertainment, where live music can be enjoyed with artists from all styles, clubbing sessions featuring today’s top DJs and a flamenco-dinner show. A new era for Teatro Eslava (still Joy Eslava for me!).
The official Teatro Eslava: https://teatroeslava.com/
The Madrid tourist office on teatro Eslava: https://www.esmadrid.com/en/nightlife/teatro-eslava
There you go folks, I have no words Madrid is more than a city to me, it is part of my life and a happy nice life indeed; always Madrid or From Madrid to Heaven and a hole in the sky to look down on it every day !!! Again, hope you enjoy this sentimental post on Joy Eslava or Teatro Eslava of Madrid as I.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 