The Teatro Alberto Maranhão is Natal's grandest piece of civic architecture, a neoclassical theatre built at the turn of the 20th century and named for the governor who commissioned it. It sits in the Ribeira neighborhood, which was once the commercial and cultural heart of the city, and the building remains the finest on this stretch of the riverside waterfront.
The theatre was restored in the 1990s and is still in regular use for concerts, theatre productions, and dance performances. The interior retains its original painted ceilings and ornate balconies. If a performance is on while you are in Natal, it is worth attending not just for the art but for the building. If not, it is worth walking by for the facade.