 The theater, according to some people has good acoustics and lighting and a large seating capacity of 1,670 (846 orchestra, 116 in loge, and 708 in balcony) which housed performances, operas, concerts, and plays for more than a decade.It also continued up to the Japanese occupation where Zarzuelas, Filipino operas, films and stage were shown.The Manila Metropolitan Theaters housed performances by international artists like Ted Shawn, Jascha Heifetz, Amelita Galli-Curci and Fritz Kreisler and local shows such as the “Smiles of 1936,” “Querer Ranchero” and “Luisa Fernando” were all part of the decade that followed its inauguration.