Teatro Fru Fru, Second Empire style theatre building in Centro Histórico, Mexico City, Mexico.
Teatro Fru Fru occupies a tall, narrow multi-storey building at Calle de Donceles 24 in the historic center of Mexico City. Its weathered facade is patchy pale cream and exposed brown, with a vertical sign reading "TEATRO FRU FRU" in red capitals down the centre. The stone-clad base holds a dark recessed entrance beneath a projecting balcony with wrought-iron railing; above the entrance hangs a white banner with handwritten-style lettering including "Angela", and the upper floors have rows of rectangular windows with dark frames and small air-conditioning units.
The building originally opened as Teatro Renacimiento on January 1, 1899, with President Porfirio Diaz present at the inauguration. Over the course of the 20th century it changed hands several times before taking its current name.
In the early 1980s the theatre hosted the Midnight Theatre concept created by producer and director Pablo Leder, staging works for a strictly adult audience. The shows earned the venue a reputation for provocation while standing out for production quality. In the 1970s and 1980s a gallery cabaret, La Cueva de La Tigresa, was known for its burlesque shows.
The theatre sits in the historic center of Mexico City and is easy to reach by metro, with several stations nearby. It is worth checking the current programme in advance, since shows and opening hours can vary throughout the year.
The theatre was among the first venues in Mexico City to use electric lighting, which transformed how the stage appeared to audiences in the early 1900s. This made it a reference point for the modernization of theatre technology in the city.
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