South Beach’s Cameo Theater Could Reopen With Romain Zago Concept

Nightlife operator Romain Zago wants to reopen the historic Cameo Theater in South Beach seven years after its nightclub shuttered.

Zago, who made a name for himself owning the nearby Mynt Lounge nightclub, has filed plans to turn the Art Deco theater at 1445 Washington Avenue into a 466-seat restaurant and lounge. The plans call for a bar and lounge with 226 seats on the ground floor, with the existing stage remaining. The second floor will house a 240-seat restaurant.

MainRo, a club and restaurant Zago launched in Hollywood, Calif., will likely serve as the template for the 17,589-square-foot venue, which has a license to sell alcohol until 5 A.M., according to a filing with the Miami Beach Planning Board, which will hear the proposal on Nov. 3. 

“The applicant proposes a refined dining-and-entertainment destination in the tradition of the grand European supper houses — a modern Moulin Rouge by way of Cirque du Soleil,” the application states. “The concept merges a full-service luxury restaurant with a reservation-driven entertainment lounge, anchored by live theatrical performance rather than open dance floor.”

The application also suggests Miami real estate investor and developer Michael Konig is a partner in the venture. 

Cameo Theater has been a fixture in South Beach nightlife since it was built in 1938, although it has remained mostly vacant since 2019 when the Cameo nightclub closed. Zori Hayon has owned the property since at least the 1980s. 

Zago, who hails from France, owned and operated Mynt Lounge until selling the nightclub in 2024. He launched MainRo two years earlier. 

Attorney Bob de la Fuente of Lehtinen Schultz, who represents the applicant, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Julia Echikson can be reached at jechikson@commercialobserver.com.