Capitol Theatre reopens after 20 years

After closing its doors more than 20 years ago in 1997, the historical Capitol Theatre located at Rua Pedro Nolasco da Silva in Central Macau has finally re-opened in the hope of recapturing its old days of glory.

After extensive refurbishment, the theatre re-opened last weekend with a stage play by local group Dream Theatre Association.

Named “The Perfect Moment”, the Cantonese-language play was created to celebrate the group’s 10th anniversary. It chronicles the difficulties of two characters trying to fulfill their dream of becoming theatrical artists.

According to records, Capitol Theatre officially opened April 13, 1931 and played the movie “The Love Parade” starring Maurice Chevalier, and had an original seating capacity of 837.

After the Capitol’s first closure on August 1, 1987, the interior of the theatre building was rebuilt into a shopping center.

In 1991, the theatre re- opened as an entertainment venue but with a reduced capacity of 380 seats on the third floor of the theatre building.

Eventually this room was also closed on September 1, 1997.

At the same time, all the areas of the building were decaying despite continuous use. The building was converted into a “low- end” mixed-use market and game arcade.

The idea to refurbish the theatre came from local property businessman Kuan Vai Lam, who at the time, announced that the theatre would re-open in 2017.

When announcing the Capitol’s refurbishment, Kuan said that the plan included the whole building, which he aimed to transform into a performing arts space as well as a venue that would support local cultural and creative industries.

The project has faced several delays, mostly due to conflicts between space owners and the tenants of the small shops and market spaces.