Teatro Tabarís

The Teatro Tabarís (also given as MultiTabaris, or simply Tabarís) is a venue on Avenida Corrientes in Buenos Aires that has operated as both a cabaret and a theatre ^[1]. Its address is Av. Corrientes 831 ^[1]. Its source describes it as a classic revue theatre ^[1].

The venue opened on 7 July 1924 ^[1]. A cabaret called Royal Pigall (also spelled Royal Pigalle) had previously existed on the same site ^[1]. The dossier also lists Royal Pigall as an alternative name for the venue, so it differs on whether the name refers to a predecessor business or to the Tabarís itself ^[1].

Its relevance to tango lies in its cabaret years, when tango orchestras played there ^[1]. Shows on its specially raised stage included music hall, tango and variety acts ^[1]. An association with the bandleader Francisco Canaro appears in the dossier, but it is flagged there for verification and is treated here as unconfirmed ^[1].

The building was remodelled and enlarged in 1937 ^[1]. In 1998 it was rented to an evangelical church ^[1]. It reopened as a theatre in 2006 ^[1].

The Tabarís stands at Avenida Corrientes 831 in Buenos Aires, Argentina ^[1]. Two years after its 1937 remodelling, the Cine-Teatro Gran Rex opened on the neighbouring lot ^[1]. The source describes the Gran Rex as still one of the most important venues in Buenos Aires ^[1].

The source states that a cabaret named Royal Pigall, or Royal Pigalle, existed on the site before the Tabarís ^[1]. The Tabarís was inaugurated on 7 July 1924 ^[1]. According to an anecdote in the source, the central heating failed on that cold winter night ^[1]. As a result, guests had to dine wearing their coats and overcoats ^[1].

In its cabaret period the venue attracted a wealthy and well-known clientele ^[1]. The architect Fabio Grementieri described the patrons as well-to-do young men, bohemian tourists and celebrities ^[1]. He wrote that they could afford a drink costing nearly half an ordinary employee's wage ^[1]. The same author stated that the house chef earned as much as a member of the national legislature ^[1].

The source names several distinguished visitors ^[1]. They included Edward of Windsor (then Prince of Wales), Orson Welles, Maurice Chevalier, Luigi Pirandello, Carlos Gardel, Federico García Lorca and the Maharaja of Kapurthala ^[1].

In 1937 the venue, then referred to as the Teatro-Dancing Tabarís, was remodelled and enlarged by the architect Rafael Sammartino ^[1]. He gave it a modern look with sober lines and Art Deco-influenced columns on its glazed façade ^[1]. From then on the building held a main hall with a pullman level, totalling 551 seats ^[1]. A 160-seat hall in the basement was nicknamed the petit Tabarís ^[1].

In 1998 the theatre was rented to an evangelical church ^[1]. It reopened in 2006 ^[1]. It then joined the circuit of theatres organised by Rottemberg, alongside the Multiteatro and the Liceo ^[1].

Over its history the venue moved from cabaret to revue theatre on Corrientes ^[1]. Tango orchestras played there during its cabaret years ^[1]. Music hall, tango and variety shows were staged on a stage that was raised specially for them ^[1].

Carlos Gardel is named among the venue's distinguished visitors ^[1]. The source does not say whether he performed there ^[1].

The dossier links the venue to Francisco Canaro, but it marks this association for verification ^[1]. It gives no dates, engagements or details for this link, so the connection is not presented here as established fact ^[1].