Fodor's Expert Review Teatro Popular Melico Salazar
Across Avenida 2 on the north side of Parque Central stands San José's second major performance hall (after the Teatro Nacional). The 1928 building is named for Costa Rican operatic tenor Manuel "Melico" Salazar (1887–1950). It was constructed specifically to provide a less highbrow alternative to the Teatro Nacional. (Popular in Spanish refers to something "common" or "for the people," rather than meaning "widely liked.") These days the Melico provides the capital with a steady diet of music and dance performances.