The Manoel Theatre has been named by the international news agency CNN one of the top 15 most spectacular theatres in the world.
The other theatres are Shakespeare's Globe Theatre (London), Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus (Düsseldorf), Balboa Theatre (San Diego) BAM Harvey theater (New York), National Noh Theatre (Tokyo), Salle Richelieu (Paris), Minack Theatre (Cornwall), State Theatre (Sydney), Margravial Opera House (Bayreuth, Germany), Teatro Amazonas (Manaus, Brazil), Palais Garnier (Paris), Tampa Theatre (Florida), Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts (Wisconsin) and the Elgin and Winter Garden Theater Center (Toronto).
The Manoel Theatre was built in 1731 by Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena. He commissioned and personally funded the construction of this central building to keep the young knights of the Order of St John out of mischief and to provide the public with "honest entertainment".