Teatro Cervantes, Málaga

Theatre in Málaga

CC BY-SA 2.0 / rey perezoso

The Cervantes Theater is located in the Spanish city of Malaga. It is Malaga’s oldest theater and dates from 1870 and has 1,200 seats. The art-deco theater is the main venue for the Malaga Festival. El Teatro Cervantes is situated right in the center of the city, near Plaza de la Merced.

The theatre has played host to some of the most famous artistes in the world, from Art Garfunkel to Suzanne Vega and Van Morisson, hosting theatrical stagings of Shakespeare, and classic operas such as Guillermo Tell or William Tell, with frequent homage paid to great composers such as Brahms and Beethoven, by the Malaga Philharmonic Orchestra.

History of the Teatro Cervantes

The theater was built in 1869 following the destruction by fire of the Prince Alfonso Theater. A new theater was to be built under the direction of the architect Gerónimo Cuervo , and was inaugurated in 1870 with the name Teatro Cervantes .

The Interior of Teatro Cervantes

The theater has a polygonal floor plan and features horseshoe-shaped stalls. There are four floors: the stalls, two floors for boxes and the upper gallery. The ceiling, painted in oils by Bernardo Ferrándiz and assistants such as Antonio Muñoz Degrain is of 19th Century Málaga, its industry, commerce and Port.

By 1950, the Theater had deteriorated considerably and it was reduced to showing films. Málaga City Council acquired the building and begun a rennovation programme and it reopened as a municipal theater on 6 April 2012.

What Other Travellers Say...

Reviews Summary

4.6 (7,274)

Teatro Cervantes on C. Ramos Maruín in Málaga is a beautifully kept 19th-century performance venue noted for an ornate ceiling mural; visitors praise its attractive interior, good acoustics and lighting, and a mix of classical and modern programming, while noting seating varies from comfortable stall seats to shared box stools and some wooden bench options in the cheaper 'paraiso' area; several reviewers recommend paying a little more for a proper chair, and experiences of staff interaction have been mixed.

Claudio Starace

a month ago

"Marvellous place, sold out evening at the Malaga Jazz Festival, thanks to cleare and effective information I reached my seat inaugurato few minutes.The venue is amazing, an ancient theatre perfectly kept. Not speaking of the band that played, but that's another story..."

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Chloe

5 months ago

"Yes, we were discriminated against—openly, undeniably, and with a certain practiced ease. Tonight, the woman behind the ticket counter, short-hairedand unsmiling, looked at us as one might look at something inconvenient. And with a tone that needed no elaboration, she told us: Here, if you speak English, you are not welcome. It didn’t matter that we came with respect. That we had no desire to colonize or overtake, only to listen—to sit quietly in a room where a language not our own might carry us somewhere new. That didn’t count. We weren’t wanted. We stood there, confused more than angry. When did English become a moral failing? When did curiosity become offense? Music knows no borders. Instruments don’t carry passports. Art, when it is honest, breaks down walls—it doesn’t build them. It co ects people across time, distance, and language. But tonight, in Málaga, that spirit felt shut away behind glass. My mind wandered to other places. The golden galleries of the Paris Opera. The stillness of La Scala. The white sails of Sydney’s Opera House. The vast murals at the Met. These places open themselves to the world. They say, Come in. Sit down. Let’s begin. But here, the invitation came with conditions. Or perhaps there was no invitation at all. And then we saw more. The dismissiveness toward disabled patrons. The condescension toward those who spoke Spanish. The way cheap-ticket holders were herded and contained, as if their affordability made them lesser. And the seats—lined up tight like crates in a poultry farm. No dignity. No care. So in the end, the decision was easy. We walked away—not bitter, not dramatic. Just done. And if we carried anything with us into the night air, it was not regret. Only clarity. A thank-you, even, to the woman at the window—for making it plain that this door was never meant for us. And for reminding us that sometimes the most graceful act is simply knowing when to leave...."

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Mark Hamilton

a month ago

"This is such a beautiful building. Above the level of the stalls, there are three rows of boxes which can be shared. Stall seats are traditional andcomfortable; box seating is largely padded stools with a small back - but it is comfortable. We have seen both classical and modern performances here - and the acoustics and lighting have been perfect...."

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The Teatro Cervantes appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Málaga!

Moira & Andy

Hey! We're Moira & Andy. From hiking the Camino to trips around Europe in Bert our campervan — we've been traveling together since retirement in 2020!

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