The ''Teatro Variedades'' was a theatre in

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

, capital of

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

, that offered

variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatre, theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketch comedy, sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural pre ...

shows of the type known in Portugal as ''Teatro de Revista''. Opened in 1926, it has not been used since 1992, but as of 2020 there were active plans to construct a new theatre on the site, incorporating elements of the existing building. The ''Teatro Variedades'' is located in the Parque Mayer in Lisbon, close to the

Avenida da Liberdade Avenida da Liberdade ( Portuguese for ''"Avenue of Liberty"'') is a boulevard in central Lisbon, Portugal. It ranks among the most expensive streets in Europe, with property costing over €9,000 per sqm. Originating in the '' Passeio Públic ...

. It was part of a complex of theatres at the park that included the ''

Teatro Maria Vitória The ''Teatro Maria Vitória'' is a theatre in Lisbon, capital of Portugal. It is located in the theatre district of Parque Mayer. Dedicated primarily to revues, which are known in Portugal as ''Teatro de Revista'', the ''Teatro Maria Vitória'' ...

'', which was the first to be constructed. Its construction was first considered in 1922 by the entrepreneur , and building began two years later, under the direction of the architect Urbano de Castro. The theatre was inaugurated on 8 July 1926, with a variety show called ''Pó de Arroz'' (Rice Powder), with a cast that included

Vasco Santana Vasco Santana (full name: ''Vasco António Rodrigues Santana''; 28 January 1898 in Lisbon – 13 June 1958) was a Portuguese actor, one of the most renowned of the classical era of Portuguese cinema. He already had a long career in theatre ...

, as the main attraction and Augusto Costa as the compère. There were two shows: one at 21.00 and the other at 22.45. Although the theatre was well-received and the performances were acclaimed by the audience it was not an auspicious opening because the following day it had to close for a day when the ''

Ditadura Nacional The (, National Dictatorship) is the name given to the regime that governed Portugal from the end of the First Portuguese Republic with the 28 May 1926 coup d'état, until the adoption of a new constitution in 1933 that ushered in the so-cal ...

'' (National Dictatorship) overthrew the short-lived presidency of General

Manuel de Oliveira Gomes da Costa Manuel de Oliveira Gomes da Costa , commonly known as Manuel Gomes da Costa () or just Gomes da Costa (14 January 1863 – 17 December 1929), was a Portuguese army officer and politician, the tenth president of Portugal and the second of t ...

. ''Teatro Variedades'' produced about five long-running variety shows a year until the 1960s, usually involving two shows a day and three on Sundays. Famous Portuguese performers to perform there include

Laura Alves Laura Alves (8 September 1921 – 7 May 1986) was a Portuguese actress on stage, film and radio. Early life Laura Alves Magno was born in Lisbon, Portugal on 8 September 1921, the daughter of Mariana Alves and Celestino Magno. She attended the M ...

Palmira Bastos Palmira Bastos (1875–1967) was one of the best-known Portuguese stage actresses in the first half of the 20th century. Early life Maria da Conceição Martínez (Martins) de Sousa Bastos was born on 30 May 1875, in the municipality of Alenquer ...

, Beatriz Costa, ,

Raul Solnado Raul Augusto de Almeida Solnado (19 October 1929 - 8 August 2009) was a popular Portuguese actor and comedian. He was born in Lisbon's Madragoa neighborhood, and first appeared on stage there. In his long career, he developed many comic pieces ...

, and the fado singer

Amália Rodrigues Amália da Piedade Rebordão Rodrigues (23 July 1920 – 6 October 1999), known as simply Amália Rodrigues () or popularly as Amália, was a Portuguese fado singer (''fadista''). Dubbed ''Rainha do Fado'' ("Queen of Fado"), she was instrumen ...

. In time there was a falling off in the popularity of such shows, due to the increased popularity of television. After having been renovated in the early 1960s, the theatre suffered from a fire in 1966, as did other buildings in the park. Some renovation was carried out at the beginning of the 1990s and ''Teatro Variedades'' was used for a 26-part RTP ( Rádio e Televisão de Portugal) series of variety programmes in 1992, directed by

Filipe La Féria Luís Filipe Valente Lá Féria Orta, known professionally as Filipe La Féria (born May 17, 1945 in Vila Nova de São Bento), is a Portugal, Portuguese Television director, director, Television producer, producer, and screenwriter for television ...

, with a range of guest artists who had distinguished themselves in some of the shows at the theatre, in addition to a fixed cast with younger performers. There was a desire to make the theatre return to its former glory but, in fact, these were the last performances it would see.

References

{{stack, {{Portal, Portugal Theatres in Lisbon

See also

References