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A major new theatre will open in the Czech capital on Thursday as the curtain goes up on a musical comedy based on the story of Prague's mythical Jewish figure "Golem".
The script for the story based on the ancient Jewish legend was written by Czech rocker Lou Fananek Hagen and put to music by Karel Svoboda, author of several other comedy musical hits, such as "Dracula" or "Monte Christo."
The musical version of Golem, the name for the clay creature created by a Jewish rabbi to protect Prague's Jewish quarter, also recounts a love story between a young Jewish girl and a Christian at a time of religious tension between the two communities.
"Xenophobia and racial hatred are contemporary themes today, They are also the theme of this work," director Filip Renc said at a news conference ahead of the premiere at the Hybernia theatre.
The theatre has been created on the site of an ancient church built by the Franciscan Order of Ireland. After the abolition of the religious order in 1796, the building was turned into a customs house and then an exhibition hall.
The refashioned building, one of the most important examples of Empire architecture in Prague, was abandoned in recent years and appeared destined to slowly become a ruin.
Holding some 1,000 seats, the new theatre will be the third biggest in Prague after the National Theatre and State Opera.
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AFPEntertainment-Czech-theatre-music
AFP 231704 GMT 11 06
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