Until now, we have only seen the Habima building from the outside. I must admit that the large white cube that suddenly appeared at the end of Tel Aviv's Rothschild Boulevard, around the large aquarium that concealed within it what was once Habima Theater, initially seemed to me rather frightening and repelling. Over time I got used to it. From the outside it actually does not look that bad as the end of the renovation approaches. As the mayor of Tel Aviv (the municipality provided NIS 57.5 million of the NIS 105 million cost of the renovations ), Ron Huldai, stressed, as he led a tour of the building for culture journalists yesterday, the building's original, massive pillars can now be seen in all their glory. His comments, which of course rejected any possible criticism of the building, also implied that in any case "the more you write and argue about it, the more people will come."

Upon hearing Huldai, one might have thought that the most important part of the theater is these pillars. But afterward the mayor led the tour to the actual auditoriums. And here it should be made clear: Massive renovations were needed for the Habima building designed by Oscar Kaufman and dedicated in 1936 (the original cornerstone, which was laid in 1934 in the presence of High Commissioner Sir Arthur Wauchope, is displayed in the renovated building as if an artifact ), not only because the building was outdated and neglected, and not just because of the crimes of previous renovations (which created the aquarium ), but in order to make extensive changes in the auditoriums.

Open gallery view The new Habima Theater, Tel Aviv, November 20 2011. Credit: Moti Milrod

This change was essential and vital not only for the quality of customer service (which deteriorated from year to year - not to mention the sound problem ), but also because of the building's destructive influence on the artistic management of the theater. The joke among Israeli theater people over the last 30 years or so was, "Who really runs Habima? The large auditorium." The large, stable-like main auditorium, that red place with seating for 1,000 people that bears the name of Hanna Rovina, with its high gallery, basically allowed only for the presentation of big, noisy plays (i.e., musicals ), or party conventions. The theater was dependent on its ability to fill the large auditorium.

Here is the very good news: With its new, dark blue look, and 930 seats, the auditorium gives those who enter a feeling close to intimacy. It is less long and narrow than it was. From the place in the auditorium to which I had access as a disabled person, in the last row, the 18th, I could see the large stage, which has clearly not been changed in the renovation. The stage extends toward the audience, beyond what is known as the proscenium arch. There is no way of taking away part of the stage to create an orchestra pit (there is a room for the orchestra in the back ).

next previous 7 of 7 | The new Habima Theater, Tel Aviv, November 20 2011. Credit: Moti Milrod 1 of 7 | The new Habima Theater building, Tel Aviv, November 20, 2011. Credit: Moti Milrod 2 of 7 | The renovated Habima Theater, Tel Aviv, November 20, 2011. Credit: Moti Milrod

The even better news is that in the rounded gallery there is an intimate atmosphere and, in a certain sense, is even better than sitting in the auditorium - even in row 10, the gallery's last row. From the disabled seating behind the third row of the gallery the entire stage sprawls before you in its full glory. I was even able to almost hear the remarks of Huldai and the theater's director general, Odelia Friedman, as they spoke from the stage without microphones (and actresses will fidget with wireless microphones attached at the neck that are commonly used in these parts ).

Return from Warsaw

These impressions are all of an empty auditorium, without an audience or a production onstage, where workers were building the set for "Morris Schimmel," based on the Hanoch Levin play, which will inaugurate the hall tonight. The actors returned yesterday from guest performances at the National Theater in Warsaw. I bought a ticket for tonight's performance (in row 18, NIS 65 - an inexpensive, preview price ) at the theater box office and tomorrow I will know better.

Open gallery view The renewed Habima Theater. Credit: Moti Milrod

During the tour, before getting to the main auditorium and its gallery (there are large elevators with audio and braille buttons ), we visited the smaller auditoriums. The press release distributed by the Tel Aviv municipality's efficient spokesman's office stated that the renovations of the smaller auditoriums were only possible thanks to NIS 5 million budgeted by the municipality for the purpose (it was unclear from the communique if this sum was included in the NIS 105 million or not ). This is the place for a brief philosophical-financial reflection: In the smaller auditoriums it is possible to present interesting and innovative theater because of the spaces' flexibility, but without the additional budgets they would not have been renovated, even though that's basically less than five percent of the total outlay. Interesting.

The first space we visited was Habima 4, previously known as the Heineken cellar in honor of a donation by the beer manufacture toward its renovation at some time. Now this auditorium is covered in wood, sort of a black box, with a central space with tables and a gallery overlooking the space, also with tables and a bar. The little auditorium has a small stage, where it is possible to present plays at the same time as in the Rovina Hall above it (the orchestra pit was sacrificed for this ). The theater's director general Friedman said it is intended for one-man plays and after 10:30 P.M. for musical performances and an open bar. My nose tells me this is a space that theater people will like, also because it is the only one in the building that really allows for flexibility as far as the positioning of the audience and actors is concerned. This auditorium still does not have a name and I proposed that they name it after me (not seriously, in case anyone should think so. In fact, it should be named after Nachum Zemach, the man who envisioned Habima ).

This hall is on the same level as the Habimartef auditorium, which is named after Yehoshua Bartonov (in the foyer of the Rovina auditorium nine portraits of early Habima founders by Uri Lifschitz will be hung, presumably including one of Bartonov ). Friedman and Huldai emphasized this auditorium's flexibility and that it is a favorite with directors. In effect, it is an arena theater (the acting space is on the ground level, surrounded by audience seating on three sides ) with no flexibility at all because the rows of seats are fixed. To those upset that this takes away freedom of movement, I would like to point out that in the years when there was freedom to act in the auditorium space, it was done rarely, if at all. This auditorium is now also isolated from the noise of the Rovina Hall, even if they put a loud musical on its stage (although this still awaits a test in real time, when they restage Ilan Ronen's production of "King Solomon and Shalmai the Cobbler." The important change in the Habimartef is that it now has another exit and so spectators in the hall will be safer.

We concluded the tour in the Meskin auditorium, which from the beginning was the most intimate and inviting hall in the Habima building. This hall was an addition to the original theater and so the entrance to it was from outside the whole building. Now it is inside the building and the elevators bring patrons there as well (only from one side of the building - even though we were told that the elevators also reach this hall on the other side of the building. They don't. I checked ). The result of the proper inclusion of the hall and its foyer inside the building is that the entrance to the auditorium is long, narrow, uninviting and low (although the window along its length provides a fine view of Hatizmoret Square adjacent to the building ). This is also a result of changes to the auditorium itself: It is less angled, and a not-so-large gallery has been added. It has 300 seats and a deeper stage, which makes it possible for the cargo elevator to bring sets directly there. I couldn't get to the gallery but my source informed me that you can see well from it, except for the side rows where the seat positioning is problematic. Huldai stressed that the chairs in the theater were made in Israel and there is enough legroom between rows. This was a preemptive blow against criticism, following criticism of the seats and space between rows in the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center.

The floor's not crooked

Between the halls, the mayor pointed out the water faucets and noted that visitors would not have to purchase water but could drink it for free. I could not restrain myself and commented that in the event they are stunned by Habima's artistic quality they would be able to recover with the aid of free water. And this is not unimportant: because after they solve all the budget problems (and they never solve them all - there is always some remaining deficit ) success still depends on what kind of theater they present in this building. To be precise: not how many people come to these auditoriums, which is what Huldai believes will determine the quality of the renovation.

The significance of the "national theater" label today is not the repertoire. There is no such thing, a national repertoire, despite attempts to award government prizes for Zionist works. A national theater also does not have to be committed in theory or in practice to presenting original plays. Theaters do that in any case, and it has been proven empirically that original plays attract big audiences and most of them in practice, despite the lofty talk of encouraging original works, have a commercial-entertainment bent.

The only significance of the designation "national theater" today is that it is the best theater existing today, in terms of the quality of the material it works with, the quality of the actors performing on its stages, and the professional and artistic levels it strives for and sets for other theaters and for its audiences. The Habima Theater of the past few decades was far away from that. There were some good plays and some not so good ones, but for many years now it has not been a theater that takes its artistic and professional quality as seriously as it should. This is not the place to elaborate on this subject. I did enough of that in the regular columns. In recent years, there was a great excuse: The building is being renovated, and there are expenses, deficits from the past. The real test is yet to come, this dancer will no longer be able to complain that the floor is crooked. .