Manila Metropolitan Theater

The Metropolitan Theater opened in 1931 to a design by Juan Arellano, and it is the finest art deco building in the Philippines - a facade of stylised tropical plants in coloured tile and stained glass, sculpted figures by Italian artist Francesco Monti, and an auditorium decorated in mango and banana motifs rather than European ornament, a deliberate attempt to make deco Filipino. It was wrecked in 1945, patched up, used and abandoned in turn, and spent much of the late twentieth century derelict and disputed between agencies while the district around it declined. The national culture commission bought it in 2015 and completed a restoration that reopened the building in the 2020s. It now stages performances again, and the exterior alone - best seen from Mehan Garden - is worth the detour for anyone interested in how the city looked before the war.

History

In 1924 the legislature approved a "people's theater" in the Mehan Garden, and in 1928 the city leased 8,293 square metres there for ₱1.00 for 99 years to the new Metropolitan Theater Company; the architect Juan M. Arellano studied theatre design in the United States under Thomas W. Lamb. The cornerstone was laid in February 1928, the theatre opened on 10 December 1931 and hosted artists such as Jascha Heifetz and Fritz Kreisler, and it reopened after restoration on 10 December 2021 (Wikipedia, Manila Metropolitan Theater).

The main sights

• The tiled facade - stylised plants in coloured ceramic and glass.
• The Monti sculptures - the figures flanking the entrance.
• The restored auditorium - deco ornament in Filipino motifs.
• The Mehan Garden setting - the green space beside it.

When to go

Year-round. Interior access depends entirely on the programme - check what is scheduled, since the building is not permanently open for casual walk-in visits.

Practical notes

Access inside is event-dependent and irregular. The surrounding streets are busy and rough in places. Much of the interior is reconstruction rather than surviving 1931 fabric.

Nearby

Intramuros is across the road; the Manila Central Post Office and Escolta are a short walk over the Pasig.

Key facts