The Teatro Solis in Montevideo, Uruguay--established in 1856 and still operating--is the oldest theater in the Americas. Solis audiences thrilled to the lyricism of many of the great singers of the 19th Century, among them Adelina Patti, Romilda Pantaleoni, Gemma Bellincioni, and Enrico Caruso, accompanied by a 285-member company. Programs also featured orchestra and dance: the theater played host to dancer Vaslav Nijinksy's last stage performance and presented Puccini, Mascagni, Saint-Saens and Richard Strauss. Susana Salgado's lively historical account--the very first of its kind--is...