The old theather opened its doors in 1872 as a casino (the "Casino Franco-Brésilien"), in 1880 it was renamed as "Teatro Santana" and, a little bit later, in 1905, it was named "Teatro Carlos Gomes", after the famous Brazilian composer and conductor. During the 19th century, it survived at least three major fires. And is still there! The art deco theather belongs to Rio's municipality and, as it quite often occurs with public managed cultural institutions, its programme is quite erratic. But the theater actual conditions are good and offers 760 comfortable seats on its orchestra and balcony floors. Check its programme and go. By taxi, always. Praça Tiradentes is located at Rio's old downtown, where security is quite a problem. "Teatro Carlos Gomes" is not far from "Rua do Lavradio", at Lapa quarter, famous for its restaurants (like "Mangue Seco") and bars (like "Rio Scenarium"). On Fridays and weekends, combining theather and a visit to Lapa can be a good option, principally if you speak Portuguese. And don't forget: Always by taxi. Enjoy!

The theatre has been renovated and has comfortable armchairs and good air conditioning. Just don't count on snack options there and take care of the surroundings. Because it was an area in the center I went to watch a play on Saturday that is earlier, but it was already pretty underground. I recommend going by taxi or Uber. I watched the purple musical and it was great.