Famous Theaters and Hidden Gems
There are many famous theaters that we love to visit. However, we really love to go to Hidden Gem theaters or theatres as they say in England. Given that our overall goal with the website is to introduce you to the Hidden Gems that we have found in our travels, we certainly will share a few in the Theater category. We hope you enjoy our write-ups and can attend some of our favorites in the future. Here is our quick list of our top ten favorites.
Top Ten Favorite Theaters:
Famous:
Hidden Gems:
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 2000 people, has performed a five-hour performance of the 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 is normally performed on the decadal year. Exceptions include during the World Wars and most recently when they moved the performance from 2020 to 2022 due to Covid-19.
According to legend, an outbreak of plaque devastated Germany in the 17th century, and the villagers vowed that if God spared them from the plague, 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 Germany Post.
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 become a success due to challenges from Covid-19 closures, and a script that might have missed 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.
Need tickets for a play in London? Please check out Ticketmaster-UK.
ABBA Theatre, A Hidden Gem
An even more creative and interesting show is performed at the ABBA theatre which is located on the outskirts of London in Stratford 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 fans 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 foreigner 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 when they were taking a tour of Times Square and the Broadway Theaters District in July of 2021, was about the Longacre theater. Much of Broadway was closed down due to Covid. The tour guide, who we found through Get Your Guide was out of work from his job as an usher across the street from 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 were able to enjoy an outstanding performance of Vivaldi’s 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 Opera performance that is truly outstanding. The closing act was Habanera from Carmen. For more information about Italy, please our Italy Post.
Very Famous Theaters – Sydney Opera House
No theater in the world is a more iconic and a 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 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 far left aisle, we had to strain 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 if it is a beautiful warm afternoon, it will be crowded. Fortunately, they have very productive wait staff, as demonstrated by the waitress below with her unique way of collecting glasses. For more information about Sydney and Australia, please visit our 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, that are all described with pictures 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 Amphitheatre – Morrison, Colorado
The Red Rock Amphitheatre 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 depression by the Federal Civilian Conservation Corps. It normally has a full schedule of events during the late Spring to early Fall season. 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 also equally entertaining is the Beatles show at the Mirage. You can book all these shows at Vegas.com. For more information about Las Vegas, visit our Las Vegas Post.
