Opened in 1822 by the first British Governor of Mauritius, Sir Robert Farquhar, some ten years after the British conquest, the Port Louis Theatre provided a home for theatrical and operatic art in Mauritius throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and was one of the first theatres to be built in the southern hemisphere. Mauritian artists and international troupes would regularly frequent the theatre for a long winter season of plays and opera, performing such works as La Bohême, The Barber of Seville, Il Trovatore, Rigoletto and Aïda. Night trains were even provided to allow opera-goers to return home late at night after the performances and the cultural reviews Port Louis Mondain and Maurice Théâtre covered events in the press.

The engineer Vandermeesch created the splendid dome of the theatre in homage to the great opera composers.

The Port Louis Theatre was the only centre of opera in Mauritius until the construction of the Plaza Theatre in 1933 in Rose Hill. This theatre has been closed since 2008 awaiting renovation.