Best Theaters in the World & Hidden Gem Theatres

There are many famous theaters that we love to visit. However, we really love going to “Hidden Gem Theatres,” as they say in England. Given that our overall goal with the website is to introduce you to the Hidden Gems we have found in our travels, we will certainly share a few in the Theater Category. We hope you enjoy our write-ups and can attend some of our favorites in the future. 

Top Ten Best Theaters in the World 

Okay, these may not be the top 10 theaters in the world. Other than the Sydney Opera House, none of the classical Opera Houses are mentioned.  In fact, we aren’t even considering movie theaters, even though some are true classics. This is a list of the ten best places in the world that we visited, where we observed a theatrical performance. In fact, we include more than ten theaters and name several in each of the two most popular theaters for musical plays: Broadway and London. 

Of the three most famous Opera Houses in the world, Palais Garnier, La Scala, and La Fenice, Cos has only been to one, La Scala, and Robin is still waiting to go to her first Grand Opera House. Cos did not see Maria Callas when he was there. In fact, he went the first night he arrived in Milan, after traveling overnight from New York. He could barely stay awake, and the small seats from the olden days were extremely uncomfortable. Perhaps the famous Opera Houses will be added to the list when they both finally get to enjoy them, as will Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre with the Thatched Roof if they get there in the fall of 2026, when they return to London. 

Here is our personal “Top Ten Best Theaters” list. Each will deliver a great theatrical performance, but they may not be the most beautiful theaters in the world. In fact, many will not even be called a “Concert Hall” or a “Grand Theater.”

Famous Theaters:

Hidden Gem Theatres:

Passion Play – Oberammergau, Germany

One of the true Hidden Gem Theatres in the world is in the town of Oberammergau, Bavaria, Germany. It holds about 5000 seats in an open-air venue. With few exceptions, the entire town, about 2,000 people, has performed a five-hour Passion Play every 10 years since 1634. The show is performed with a two-hour intermission, when everyone breaks for dinner. Since 1680, the show has been performed every decade. Exceptions include the World Wars and, most recently, the move of the performance from 2020 to 2022 due to COVID-19.

According to legend, an outbreak of plague devastated Germany in the 17th century, and the villagers vowed that if God spared them, they would perform a play every 10 years depicting the life and death of Jesus. Nobody died of plague in Oberammergau after that vow, and the villagers kept their word to God by performing the passion play for the first time in 1634.

Robin and I had an opportunity to attend the play in 2022 as an extension of a river cruise we took with Viking from Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland. Viking did a great job of handling our transfers, lodging, and dinners. If you decide to go in 2030, the next performance, which we strongly recommend, we suggest you include it as part of a river cruise. For more information about Germany, please see our post on Germany.

London’s Famous Theatres –

Nobody is more associated with the theatre in London than Andrew Lloyd Webber. The Phantom of the Opera is his most well-known play. Most of his plays are also big hits (e.g., Evita, Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Starlight Express, Sunset Blvd., and School of Rock). Unfortunately, his latest show, Cinderella, failed to succeed due to COVID-19-related closures and a script that might have missed the mark with the audience.

Robin and I saw the play at the Gillian Lynne Theatre on the night that Andrew announced its closing. It is a very creative theatre, as the first seven rows of seats actually rotate around the stage for the second act to create a theatre-in-the-round effect. However, given the outcome of the play, not being what we expected, (we won’t give it away), perhaps he should have called the play “CinderFella” as it was certainly not a play that most parents would want to bring their kids.

Phantom of the Opera

The Phantom of the Opera is one of the most famous musicals ever written, composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber and based on the 1910 novel by Gaston Leroux.

• It premiered in London’s West End on October 9, 1986
• The original production starred Michael Crawford as the Phantom and Sarah Brightman as Christine
• It quickly became a global phenomenon, winning major awards and playing to over 130 million people worldwide
• It is one of the longest-running shows in West End history, running continuously for decades

The musical tells a romantic and tragic story set in the Paris Opera House—featuring iconic songs like “The Music of the Night” and “All I Ask of You.”

Where it is Currently Playing in London

Today, The Phantom of the Opera is still performed in London at His Majesty’s Theatre:

• Located on Haymarket in London’s West End
• The musical has been associated with this theatre since its original opening in 1986
• It is currently running and booking into 2026

Phantom of the Opera is Cos’s favorite musical of all time. He has the full musical recording on his iPhone, and he has seen the play several times. 

Starlight Express — Origins & Current London Home

ABBA Theatre, A Hidden Gem

An even more creative and interesting show is performed at the ABBA theatre in Stratford, on the outskirts of London, near the old Olympic Park and London Stadium. The show uses awesome hologram technology that makes ABBA look and sound like they did 40 years ago. Even if you are not a fan of ABBA, you will want to see this show.

For more information about London and England, please visit our post on England.

Famous Theaters – Broadway, New York City

Having been born, raised, and worked for forty years in New York City, Cos is no stranger to the Broadway Theaters scene. He loves to attend the Opera, the Symphony, and the Ballet at Lincoln Center. Cos and Robin attempt to make an annual trip to NYC to take in the performances. Oddly, Cos and Robin did not see all these pictures in New York. They saw Hamilton in Jacksonville, Florida, and Tina in London. Both were outstanding performances. For more information about the Big Apple, please see our post on New York City.

Nevertheless, Broadway is the best place to see these shows. We recommend booking through Broadway Direct.

Longacre Theater Story

A sad story that Cos and Robin heard while taking a tour of Times Square and the Broadway Theater District in July of 2021 was about the Longacre Theater. Much of Broadway was closed down due to Covid. The tour guide, whom we found through GetYourGuide, was out of work from his job as an usher at the Longacre. His hit show, Hadestown, which Cos and Robin saw in 2022, had not yet reopened. He was particularly troubled by the Longacre since it had a bad reputation for shows stopping prematurely. He predicted that it would happen to the show Diana, since most of us know her story ends badly. Unfortunately, his prediction held up, and Diana closed its doors prematurely on December 19, 2021.

Paris, France: Sainte-Chapelle

A true must-see and also a Hidden Gem, perhaps no place is more spectacular to see a musical concert than Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, France. During their 2021 visit to Paris, after dodging Covid vaccine demonstrations, Cos and Robin enjoyed an outstanding performance of Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons.

Vernazza, Cinque Terre, Italy

If you are looking for a real Hidden Gem Theater, then there is nothing much better than in Cinque Terre. This is the Church of Santa Margherita d’Antiochia in the city of Vernazza. Okay, this is not a theater in the traditional sense. This is a poor but active church, as evidenced by its peeling walls. Once a week, on Thursday evenings, they hold an outstanding opera performance. The closing act was Habanera from Carmen. For more information about Italy, please visit our Italy page.

Very Famous Theaters – Sydney Opera House

No theater in the world is a more iconic and quintessential symbol for a city than the Sydney Opera House. On their 2023 journey to Australia, Cos and Robin had the opportunity to attend a performance of La Boheme here. It was spectacular, not just the performance, but the elegance of the theater.

Our only complaint was that for $200 Australian Dollars, we had what they called partially obstructed seats. We could see the performance perfectly. The problem was that the theatre had only a single translation sign located high over the center stage. From our seats in row ten on the far-left aisle, we had to crane our necks to see the translations. Simple solution: learn Italian.

Before the performance, we decided to go to the Opera Bar, outside the Opera House, shown below. The one warning is that it is a great place for a drink before the show, but on a beautiful, warm afternoon, it will be crowded. Fortunately, they have a very productive wait staff, as demonstrated by the waitress below, who has a unique way of collecting glasses. For more information about Sydney and Australia, please visit the Australia Post.

Famous Hidden Gem Theaters in Vietnam

During Cos and Robin’s visit to Vietnam, they were fortunate to see shows across the country. In addition to the Saigon Opera House in Ho Chi Minh City, the Water Puppets Theater in Hanoi, and the Traditional Art Performance Theater in Hoi An, which are all pictured in the Vietnam Post, they were also able to attend a show in Hoi An called the Bamboo Circus.

Bamboo Circus: Teh Dar Show at the Hoi An Lune Center

The Bamboo Circus is a traditional form of Vietnamese dance and acrobatics that is exciting to see. The shows known in Vietnam as Teh Dar are shown both in Hoi An at the Lune Center and in Saigon at the Saigon Opera house.

Famous Theaters: Red Rock Amphitheater – Morrison, Colorado

The Red Rock Amphitheater is one of the great outdoor theaters in the world. It is in a magnificent setting surrounded by red sandstone outcrops. Red Rock is a national historic landmark, built during the Great Depression by the Civilian Conservation Corps. It normally has a full schedule of events from late Spring to early Fall. Some of the more famous performers of the past include the Beatles and the Beach Boys. For more information about Colorado, please visit our Colorado Post.

Famous Las Vegas Theaters

Perhaps no place we know of has more entertainment theaters than Las Vegas. Whether you want to see a famous artist like Celine Dion, Wayne Newton, or Lady Gaga who have become the regulars replacing famous artists of the past (e.g., Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Elvis Presley), there is almost always a show to see. Equally entertaining are the seven shows that are offered by Cirque Du Soleil. “O” is our favorite, but the Beatles show at the Mirage is equally entertaining. For more information about Las Vegas, visit our Las Vegas Post.