The main public entrance, facing Praça Duque de Saldanha, had seven arched doors with direct access to the ticket offices.

[1] The complex was leased by the businessman and impresario Vasco Morgado with the intention of presenting theatrical performances, operettas, and variety shows of the type that could attract audiences large enough to fill the theatre.

In turn, that cinema, with the largest of its four projection rooms containing 378 seats, was forced to close in 2019 because it proved uneconomic, and works were under way to restructure the site in 2020.

Laura Alves, who was married to Vasco Morgado until 1967 and continued to collaborate with him after the marriage ended, was a popular, regular performer at the Monumental and was said to have been heartbroken when it was demolished.

The theatre was not just used for plays and shows that were expected to run for some time: it became a major venue for leading foreign performers, such as the singers Charles Aznavour, Sylvie Vartan and Rita Pavone.