Teatro Tapia

Lonely Planet review

Something of a city emblem, the Teatro Tapia on the south side of Plaza Colón is an intimate neoclassical theater designed in the Italian style with three-tiered boxes and an elegantly decorated lobby. Dating from 1832 and named after the so-called 'Father of Puerto Rican literature', Alejandro Tapia y Rivera, the building has long acted as a nexus for the island's rich cultural life and has hosted big names from the world of opera, stage and ballet from around the world.

The theater was restored extensively in 1949 and then again in 1976, 1997 and 2007. Experts today rate it as the oldest free-standing drama stage in the US and its territories. The Tapia's contemporary performances are usually in Spanish and frequently feature new works from Spain or Latin America. The acting is professional and performances attract Puerto Rico's literati and social elite.