Tivoli Theatre - A place steeped in history

Good afternoon, weekend lovers!

Earlier this year, I was lucky enough to win a ticket to a magic show by a famous Portuguese magician named Luís de Matos, called “Impossível ao Vivo”

I had never seen a live magic show before. And I can tell you, it’s a fantastic experience! It’s much more impressive than the shows I’ve watched so many times on TV. And believe me, it has an even greater impact live, as you can imagine! And this show featured several other magicians of various nationalities performing their magic acts.

And you, have you ever seen a live magic show?

Not only was the experience of the show itself unique, but so was the theater where it was performed.

The Tivoli Theater has been a part of Lisbon since 1924. Located on one of the capital’s main avenues, Avenida da Liberdade, it was designated a Monument of Public Interest in 2015. Its construction was overseen by Frederico de Lima Mayer. His vision was to give the city of Lisbon a venue for screening French films, which at that time were rapidly gaining popularity throughout Europe.

But it wasn’t built solely as a movie theater. Other performances were held there, such as plays, musicals, and even dance shows. And it became known as the Tivoli Cinema-Theater.

On that day in January, it was a bit rainy, so I went straight into the lobby. We are immediately greeted by a circular lobby, with two entrances facing two streets—Avenida da Liberdade and Rua Manuel de Jesus Coelho. In this lobby, you’ll also find the ticket office, the coat check (now only on display and no longer in use, as it has been replaced by a more modern one), and the staircase leading to the main corridor that takes us to the auditorium.

A panel displaying the old floor plan of the auditorium—showing the stalls, balconies, and boxes—is still on display right next to the current ticket office. Since I didn’t need to buy a ticket for this performance, I wasn’t able to examine all the details of the ticket office itself.

In the center of the entrance hall, a fantastic chandelier is still in working order. It’s good that there has always been a commitment to preserving the original design and decor.

After passing the staff who scan the tickets, we are led down a corridor featuring an impressive collection of memorabilia from this venue. From old price lists and vintage tickets to posters of renowned international shows that were performed here.

At the end of the hall, you can still see some of the boxes in which the films were stored in the side display cases. And right at the very end, there’s an old projector that has been restored.

Inside the auditorium, as you can imagine, photography and filming were not allowed, so I don’t have any photos.

^{The intersection of Avenida da Liberdade and Rua Manuel de Jesus Coelho}

^{One of the two entrances to the theater's box office lobby}

^{The old coat check stand}

^{An old floor plan of the room. It hasn't changed much since then!}

^{The box office that has been in operation since this cinema-theater opened in 1924}

^{The octagonal lamp, with a style that is no longer found today}

^{The extremely elegant staircases, with separate entrances for people with disabilities}

^{The hallway leading to the auditorium. Notice the crystal chandeliers}

^{Some art exhibition posters, tickets, and posters from that era}

^{Price list from back then. A ticket for the second balcony cost 12.50 escudos, which, at today’s prices, would be just over 0.06 euros! The box seats shown below on the right cost about 300 escudos, which would be equivalent to €1.50 today}

^{A poster for the performance by Russian composer, pianist, and conductor Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky with the National Symphony Orchestra, which took place in 1954}

^{The poster for the celebration of Tivoli's 60th anniversary}