Teatro de la Zarzuela

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The Teatro de la Zarzuela, which served as an opera house for many years previous to the Teatro Real's renovation, is now principally devoted to its raison d'être - staging zarzuela, the home-grown Spanish operetta. Despite zarzuela's uncool image and lack of credibility among serious music lovers, it retains considerable popularity, drawing in audiences for daily 8pm performances from October to July. Accompanying the Teatro's packed zarzuela programme are performances of dance (often by the Ballet Nacional), music, plays, conferences and special family-orientated shows. The well-reputed annual Ciclo del Lied pays tribute to the lesser-known 19th-century German song form.