Cameo Theater, South Beach: Zago Files for 466-Seat Revival

Nightlife operator Romain Zago has filed to bring back the Cameo Theater, the dark Art Deco landmark at 1445 Washington Ave in South Beach, as a restaurant and lounge. The plan runs to a 5 a.m. alcohol license and goes to the Miami Beach Planning Board on Nov. 3. Nothing is approved.

Why it matters

Zago sold Mynt Lounge, the nearby club he owned and ran, in 2024. Now he wants to reopen a South Beach theater that, per Commercial Observer, has been mostly vacant since the Cameo nightclub closed in 2019.

The application pitches “a modern Moulin Rouge by way of Cirque du Soleil,” anchored by live performance rather than an open dance floor. Commercial Observer reports that MainRo, the Hollywood, California venue Zago launched, will likely serve as the template. It also reports the application suggests Miami developer Michael Konig is a partner. Zago’s attorney did not immediately respond to the outlet’s request for comment.

The late-hours ask is the part likely to draw scrutiny at a hearing. A 5 a.m. license on Washington Ave is a different proposition from a dinner-only reopening.

The numbers

The filing calls for 466 seats across 17,589 square feet. The ground floor holds a 226-seat bar and lounge that keeps the existing stage. The second floor adds a 240-seat restaurant.

We pulled the county record. The Miami-Dade Property Appraiser lists a 17,589 sq ft enclosed theater, built in the 1930s, on a 12,300 sq ft lot zoned commercial. The folio sits under the site address 1443 Washington Ave and matches the filing’s square footage. The owners of record are Zori Hayon TRS and the Zori Hayon Rev Intervivos Trust. Commercial Observer reports Hayon has owned the property since at least the 1980s.

The 2026 assessed value is $4,932,908, down from $5,793,925 in 2025. The land is valued at $4,059,000 and the building at $809,349. That puts most of the assessed value in the dirt, not the theater. The appraiser record returned no recent sale.

What’s next

The Planning Board hears the proposal Nov. 3. Watch for the board’s treatment of the 5 a.m. hours, any conditions on the theater’s preservation, and whether Hayon, the longtime owner, is a party to the lease or a sale. Whether Konig is formally a partner remains unconfirmed.

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