One of the world's oldest theaters has closed. Here's where to visit instead

Located at the foot of the Acropolis in the Greek capital of Athens, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus was built in AD 161. Now that it’s closed for an extensive restoration project, we take a look at some other esteemed theatres around the world that are well worth a visit, from historic wonders to modern marvels.

Minamiza Theatre, Kyoto, Japan

Though the current building dates from 1929, a theatre has stood on his spot since 1610, making it Japan’s oldest playhouse. Widely regarded as the first kabuki theatre (which uses mime and music to tell historical tales), its most spectacular features include the beautiful Momoyama-style gabled roof and yagura (watchtower), while the interior is an explosion of opulence, with a vermillion-hued lobby and a coffered ceiling. Our top tip? Make a beeline for the third floor — these are the cheapest seats, but their elevated position guarantees fantastic views.

Teatro Amazonas, Manaus, Brazil

Manaus, on the banks of the Negro River, wasn’t the easiest place to reach when this theatre was inaugurated in 1896. Not that this concerned the architects, who shipped its steel walls from Glasgow, its marble (used for the staircase) and chandeliers from Italy, and 36,000 tiles (arranged to form a Brazilian flag on the theatre’s domed roof) from France. There are countless nods to the location, too, including the curtain, created in 1894 and adorned with an image of the Negro River, and the wooden floor, which is made of 12,000 pieces of different Amazonian woods slotted together (without glue). Today, the theatre hosts various events and productions as well as an annual opera festival, and hour-long guided tours offer a closer look at the theatre’s standout architecture.

Palacio Bellas Artes, Mexico City, Mexico

This is a theatre that defied the odds, eventually opening in 1934 after lengthy delays caused by the Mexican Revolution and the need for extra stabilisation due to Mexico City’s soft soil. Art nouveau on the outside, the theatre’s art deco interior incorporates Mayan masks and murals by celebrated Mexican painter Diego Rivera. Its pièce de résistance is its curtain, which is actually a 24-tonne panel made from one million pieces of rainbow-hued Tiffany glass, arranged to depict Mexico’s Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl volcanoes. Today, the theatre’s a venue for everything from operatic to orchestral performances.

Municipal House, Prague, Czech Republic

Smetana Hall is the theatre at the heart of Municipal House, which was built in 1905 as a multipurpose venue with ceremonial halls, exhibition spaces and restaurants. A dream team of notable Czech creatives — such as draughtsman Max Švabinský and sculptor Ladislav Šaloun — were the innovative minds behind Prague’s largest art nouveau building. Smetana Hall’s most opulent features include the detailed stucco work, its stained glass and beautiful mosaics, as well as the ornate glass dome, while sculptures inspired by Vyšehrad (a location from Czech legends) guard the stage. You’ll be able to catch regular performances of the classics, including the best of Mozart and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.

Minack Theatre, Cornwall, UK

Romanesque columns? Tick. Tiered stone seating? Tick. Cornwall’s amphitheatre-style Minack Theatre bears more than a passing resemblance to Athens’ Odeon of Herodes Atticus theatre, despite the different settings. Carved into the granite cliffs above Porthcurno Beach in southeastern England, Minack Theatre affords attendees regular glimpses of dolphins in the waters beyond the sand in addition to the top-tier productions and concerts it hosts. The theatre was the brainchild of Rowena Cade who, in the 1920s, incorporated it into her clifftop garden and allowed the local amateur dramatics society to stage The Tempest there. Today, there are regular performances year-round — upcoming productions include Hamlet and The Hound of the Baskervilles.

Citizens Opera House, Boston, US

The Citizens Opera House was designed by renowned theatre architect Thomas W Lamb and built in 1928. Lamb was hired by vaudeville star Edward F Albee II, who wanted a theatre that was also a memorial to his friend Benjamin Franklin Keith, and no expense was spared — the carpets are replicas of the ones in the Library of Congress, and there’s an abundance of Carrara marble, gold and silk. In the 1990s, it fell into disrepair, prompting a $54m (£40m) makeover, which involved the addition of two kilograms of gold leaf and painstaking restorations of the theatre’s murals. Don’t have enough time to see a production? Historical tours of the building, as well as backstage tours, give visitors the chance to learn more about what goes on behind the scenes and are available throughout the year on a first-come, first-served basis.

Harbin Grand Theatre, Harbin, China

The inspiration for this UFO-like theatre was the untamed wilderness beyond the city, resulting in a modern structure that appears to be shaped by both wind and water. The lobby’s white marble flooring and curved white walls are a nod to Harbin’s snowy winters, and the sculpture-like staircase, which twists its way to a rooftop garden, was inspired by those who’ve trekked to the summit of China’s Five Sacred Mountains. Somewhat cosier is the main auditorium, where undulating walls clad with Manchurian ash and punctuated with circular seating areas were designed to resemble a slowly eroding block of wood.

Steinmetz Hall, Orlando, US

Highlights at this Orlando theatre include the polished copper handrails and the cherrywood trims, but there’s more to the decor than meets the eye — every aspect, from the materials to the shape of the seats, enhances the sound. The Steinmetz Hall, part of the Dr Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, ‘floats’ on 400 rubber pads, and it’s one of the world’s most acoustically advanced theatres, designed to achieve an N1 acoustic rating — the lowest level at which humans can detect sound. As for the best seat in the house? “It’s the Grand Tier,” says Spencer Tong, the theatre’s executive vice president. “You’ll experience the acoustics at their very best. The reverberation and richness converge into a sound that feels truly alive.”

The Burgtheater, Vienna, Austria

The neo-renaissance Burgtheatre, built in 1888, is famous for its baroque facade, although its interior is even more opulent, with sculptures of Apollo and Bacchus alongside Shakespeare and Goethe. There are several paintings by Gustav Klimt, including the Austrian artist’s only surviving self-portrait. It was one of the world’s first theatres with electric lighting, although this wasn’t the only groundbreaking innovation. “My favourite bit is the ventilation and heating system, which was integral to the building's design from the outset,” says manager Robert Beutler. “It pulls air from the nearby rose garden via a subterranean tunnel and distributes it through the central foot of each seat into the auditorium. The used air leaves via the crystal chandelier (fitted with a brass grating) beneath the domed roof.”