Capitol Theatre

Look up. Nearly a century on, that is still the whole trick.

Book Capitol Theatre for the room as much as the show. Whatever is on, the reason to be here is the ceiling, and the time to see it is the two minutes before the lights go down: a zodiac across the golden dome and a pair of white Pegasus either side of the stage, both added in the mid-1960s. The compromise is that there is no house season. Promoters book the room, so start from the ticketing page and pick something you would see anyway.

The building has been glamorous since 22 May 1930, when it opened with Rio Rita and the sound packed in during the first screening. M. A. Namazie commissioned it, Keys and Dowdeswell gave it a neoclassical front, the layout took its cue from New York's Roxy, and the roof slid open to let the heat out, which in pre-air-con Singapore counts as genius.

The intervening decades were eventful. The Japanese renamed it in 1942 and screened only Japanese or propaganda films, and resistance fighters bombed the building in 1944, damaging the façade. Shaw Organisation bought it in 1946 and made it its flagship, and an ice rink went in during 1951. The last film, Soldier, played on 29 December 1998, and the lights stayed off for years.

The state had acquired the site in 1987 for conservation. A joint venture won it in 2010, building started the following year, and the theatre reopened on 22 May 2015, 85 years to the day after its debut, with Singapura: The Musical. It now seats 977 and can switch between theatre productions and film screenings, with a rotational floor system that lets the room be reset for seated shows, galas and weddings.

What's on varies by promoter rather than by house season. Over the years that has meant local acts, comedy (Kumar has played here), musicals, touring concerts and private events, while the atrium outside picks up markets and pop-ups. The Events and What To Watch links on the official site go straight to its ticketing page, which is the place to see what is coming.

How to do it well: make it a date. The theatre sits within the Capitol complex beside The Capitol Kempinski hotel, a hop from City Hall MRT, so dinner and a show need not involve a taxi. Take your photographs in the neon-lit arcade on the way in, then get to your seat early, look up, and wait for the zodiac to glow and the horses to look ready to take off.

Good to know Capitol Theatre is at 17 Stamford Road, by City Hall MRT. There is no fixed season: the Events link on the official site leads to the theatre's ticketing page, where you can see current shows and book tickets.

Capitol Theatre | 17 Stamford Road, Singapore 178907 | Nearest MRT: City Hall