Description of the attraction
The Manila Metropolitan Theater was built in the 1930s by the architect Juan Arellano. The Art Deco building can accommodate 1,670 spectators (846 in the stalls, 116 in the box and 708 on the balcony). During the legendary Battle of Manila in 1945, the theater was seriously damaged, part of the roof and walls were bombed. Then, after the reconstruction carried out by the Americans, the building was empty for a long time and was not properly maintained. It was only in 1978 that it was thoroughly repaired again, but, unfortunately, it was again out of work. A bus stop and parking lot have recently been built at the back of the theater, and the Manila government, with the support of the National Committee for Culture and Arts, has finalized a plan to revive the theater.
The sculptures on the front of the building are the work of the Italian sculptor Francesco Riccardo Monti, who lived in Manila from 1930 until his death in 1958. He worked closely with Juan Arellano. The walls of the hall and the interior of the theater are decorated with stylized relief ornaments of Filipino plants, made by the artist Isabelo Tampingko. In 2010, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim inaugurated the theater building after another phase of restoration work. The Metropolitan Theater is located on Padre Burgos Avenue, close to the Central Post Office of Manila.
