Closed due to the difficulties of the pandemic, the Teatro della Cometa in Rome, a historic venue on Via del Teatro di Marcello, at the foot of the Campidoglio, has been taken over and renovated by a new company led by Maria Grazia Chiuri, Creative Director of Dior, and her family. With the reopening set for the coming months, a new bar within the theatre will also be launched, entrusted to a well-known Italo-American figure in Rome’s hospitality scene, Jonathon Dominic Spada.
The new bar
The new bar at the Teatro della Cometa is scheduled to open in May 2025, as announced in job listings on the theatre’s website and the Instagram account of Bar Manager Jonathon Dominic Spada, who is currently recruiting for a Head Bartender, a Head Barista, and service staff.
Spada, a California-born brand designer, has been working as a consultant in Rome’s hospitality industry for over twenty years, contributing to projects such as Marigold and Forno Conti.
Located in the intimate foyer of the theatre, the new bar will be open to the public from Tuesday to Sunday, 10 AM to midnight, offering a selection of coffee, wines, cocktails, and light fare, as stated on the theatre’s website.
The history of the Teatro della Cometa
Situated between Ara Coeli and the Teatro di Marcello, the Teatro della Cometa occupies one of the most privileged locations in the world. Until 1929, the area was home to a working-class neighbourhood built against the Capitoline Hill, which was later demolished to make way for the ambitious project of Italy’s first motorway (!), the Via del Mare, linking Piazza Venezia to Ostia.
The palazzo was purchased in 1938 by Carlo Cecilio Pecci Blunt, but it was in the 1950s that it became a theatre. This transformation was strongly supported by Anna Laetitia Pecci Blunt, and in 1958, the Teatro della Cometa was inaugurated. It quickly gained prestige, hosting in the following decade premieres of complex playwrights such as Ionesco and Beckett, Italian chamber plays, one-man shows, and recitals by international singers.
In 1969, a short circuit caused a devastating fire that completely destroyed the theatre. It was not until 1986—seventeen years after the fire—that Viviana Pecci Blunt (daughter of the late Laetitia) and engineer Giorgio Barattolo revived the Teatro della Cometa in collaboration with architect Alberto Filippi. The first production staged after the reopening was "La santa sulla scopa" by Luigi Magni, with music by Bruno Lauzi.
The new life of the theatre
A “work in progress” sign now hangs at the entrance as restoration efforts continue.
A year ago, the news broke of the formation of a new company, Teatro della Cometa srl, dedicated to reviving the theatre space, which had remained closed since the post-pandemic period. The initiative comes from renowned fashion designer Maria Grazia Chiuri, Creative Director of Dior, together with her children, Niccolò and Rachele Regini.
Paolo Regini, Chiuri’s husband, has been appointed Sole Administrator. Since 2019, Chiuri has also held 100% ownership of Palazzo della Cometa srl, the company that owns the buildings housing the theatre.
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