ONE of the oldest theaters in the city, Majestic Theatre, in Jing'an District had a quiet opening yesterday with its original look from the 1940s restored following a five-year long renovation.

The Russian Imperial Ballet Company staged Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's classic "Swan Lake" at the theater on Jiangning Road last night in what was said to be a trial run before its formal opening in April.

Concerts and stage performances will be staged during the Spring Festival holiday to test the sound, lights and performing effects, Qiu Guanlun, the general manager of the theater, said.

The theater will mainly stage musical plays and operas.

Qiu said they had managed to dig out dozens of original design plans from the Shanghai Urban Construction Archives as they tried to restore some of the earliest details in the theater. The two-story renovated theater now has fewer seats — 1,261 from the previous 1,597 — to ensure more legroom for the audiences.

The facilities inside the theater have been upgraded. Air-conditioning outlets have been installed near the seats to guarantee comfort. The new sound system has been imported from the United States while other paraphernalia have been brought from Portugal.

Majestic Theatre first opened in October 1941 and was one of the few venues that screened foreign movies. Peking Opera master Mei Lanfang (1894-1961) and the world famous ballet dancer, Galina Sergeevna Ulanova (1910-1998), have performed in this venue. The first Shanghai People's Congress was also held in this very theater in May 1954.