The Teatro Nacional São João sits in the Praça da Batalha in Porto opposite the Igreja S. Ildefonso. One could perhaps argue whether it is the church or the theatre which is out of line, since they sit askew, not quite facing each other: the church, however, has the advantage - in present day Battle Square - of the higher ground and the more impressive flight of steps. The contrast between the warm yellow stonework of the theatre and the cool blue azulejos of the church is exaggerated in the modern square - when the theatre was built, there were two squares sharing only a common corner, and the theatre was thus more discretely placed, each building keeping its own ground.
"Gorgeous" - the "Rough Guide's" description of the building, might sound a tad excessive, but whether in the rain of a warm spring evening (as here) or in bright Porto sun, it radiates a friendly, well balanced presence - inside as well as out - friendly enough for a 'wandering Englishman' to allow himself to be persuaded to become a theatregoer, even though he didn't understand the language....
...and this is where the story really starts...
