The Teatro da Rua dos Condes, or simply Condes, was a theatre in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon. It was opened in 1738 and rebuilt in 1755 after an earthquake.

Venue: Teatro da Rua dos Condes
Town: Lisbon, PT

The Teatro da Rua dos Condes, or simply Condes, was a theatre in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon. It was opened in 1738 and rebuilt in 1755 after an earthquake. Never considered comfortable, it was demolished and rebuilt in 1888 and eventually converted to a cinema. After a further demolition and reconstruction as a purpose-built cinema, the building now houses a Hard Rock Café. For part of its life the Teatro da Rua dos Condes was one of Lisbon's major theatres, attracting the city's elite, including the royal family. However, with the construction of newer, more modern theatres it gradually moved from offering operas and legitimate theater to vaudeville and revues with more of a mass appeal. The Teatro da Rua dos Condes is believed to have been first opened on 4 February 1738 on land owned in Lisbon by the Count of Ericeira. Prior to that the location may have been used as a private theatre, probably outdoors, for the Count. It was situated on the Rua dos Condes, now known as Rua Condes, so named because several counts had their palaces in the locality. The theatre, occupying an area of 59 metres by 24 metres, began as an opera house. Under the direction of the businessman, Agostinho da Silva, it rapidly attracted opera companies from Italy, with works by Pietro Metastasio and Apostolo Zeno proving very popular with the Portuguese aristocracy and foreign diplomats. Due to the illness and eventual death of King John V, theatrical performances were suspended for about 8 years, between 1743 and 1750. In 1755 a Spanish company also performed there. The 1755 Lisbon earthquake on November 1 of that year, which destroyed much of Lisbon, certainly shook the Teatro da Rua dos Condes, but it may not have been completely destroyed because, by 1759, it had already re-opened and, under Agostinho da Silva, was again the main theatre for Italian opera, remaining as such until the opening of the Teatro Nacional de São Carlos in 1793. However, the high cost of presenting opera me