Teatro della Cometa reopens in Rome after restoration by Maria Grazia Chiuri

The Teatro della Cometa in Rome reopens after a four-year restoration led by Maria Grazia Chiuri, creative director of Dior, who acquired the theater with her family in 2020. Originally inaugurated in 1958, the theater was conceived by Countess Anna Laetitia (Mimì) Pecci Blunt as an intimate court-style venue. Designed by architect Tomaso Buzzi, it features six windows overlooking the Campidoglio, unique for a stage backdrop. After a fire in 1969 and decades of neglect, the theater was revived by Chiuri, who restored original elements like the revolving stage machinery and double staircase, while adding modern amenities including an elevator and a café open to the public from June 2025. The restoration was executed by architects Fabio Tudisco and Andrea Panzini. The theater's archive, curated by Maria Alicata, will display documents and artworks by Corrado Cagli and Mimmo Rotella. A three-day performative opening (May 26–28, 2025) evokes Pecci Blunt's 1930 Bal Blanc, with installations by Pietro Ruffo and direction by Lorenzo Salveti. The autumn program will focus on prose theater, dance, music, and international festivals.