The national Azerbaijani musical comedy genre emerged at the beginning of the 20th century. As with opera, the founder of this genre was Uzeyir Hajibeyli. The musical comedy Husband and Wife, written by him in 1909, was first staged in Baku on May 24, 1910, in the circus building of the Nikitin brothers. It was with this performance that the foundation of the Azerbaijan Musical Comedy Theatre was laid. Today the theatre’s repertoire includes approximately 50 performances. The Azerbaijan State Academic Musical Theatre, founded with the staging of the operetta “Husband and Wife” by the great composer Uzeyir Hajibeyli in 1910 and having since passed through a rich creative path, continues its activities in the first theatre building constructed in Baku in 1883 at the initiative of the prominent philanthropist Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev. The design and construction of the building were supervised by the engineer-architect Lemkul. Between 1922 and 1960, the building housed the Azerbaijan State Academic National Drama Theatre. In 1988, due to the risk of collapse, the building was demolished and the construction of a new one began. The National Leader Heydar Aliyev, who paid special attention and care to the completion and commissioning of the new building, also attended the official opening ceremony held on October 10, 1998. According to the Decree of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, dated November 25, 2010, the theatre underwent major renovation and restoration.
