Dom John VI became a frequent attendee of the theater, which made the place the meeting point for political and social life.

The facade resembled the Royal Theater of São Carlos in Lisbon, designed by José da Costa e Silva, who came to Rio de Janeiro in 1812.

During the ceremony, at the end of the performance of the sacred drama Vida de Santo Hermenegildo, the theater started to catch fire.

It had 100 boxes distributed in four sections with a capacity for 300 people and separated by a golden railing from the audience, which accommodated around 600 spectators.

The imperial box decorated with the coat of arms of the Empire of Brazil, gilded carvings and blue silk curtains embroidered in gold stood in the center.

[4][7] The theater remained temporarily closed in 1831 and José Fernando de Almeida, son of the previous owner, leased the venue to the Banco do Brasil.

On May 3, 1832, the drama A reconciliação das duas tribos pelo poder da inocência played at the theater.

In 1838, in order to fully settle the debt, Banco do Brasil auctioned off the property to Manuel Maria Bregaro and Joaquim Valério Tavares, who formed a joint stock company composed of forty shareholders, including João Caetano.

On August 9, 1851, the second fire occurred in the theater after a performance of O captativo de Fez, by João Antônio da Costa.

In the 1960s, the theater underwent a three-year restoration project based on a design by Roberto Thompson Motta and led by engineer Stélio de Morais.