KUWAIT: Flames ripped through Kuwait's new opera house Monday, just three months after the futuristic $770-million venue opened to the public.

A thick plume of black smoke rose from the waterfront Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Cultural Center, television footage showed.

Firefighters on a crane sprayed water onto the building, a structure covered with geometric Islamic patterns.

Broadway musical "Cats" was due to open there Thursday, according to the center's website.