Summer may not be the season one would associate with time spent inside, especially probably not seated in a theatre enjoying a live performance. Moreover, plenty of great shows are set up in fantastic open locations: such as Taormina’s Teatro Greco, Vondelpark Open-Ait Theater in Amsterdam, and Regent’s Park Open-Air Theater in London.
Still, after months of closures, and probably thanks to a different approach to free time, city theatres are well alive even during the warmest months of the year. And even if many artists and dance or stage companies are touring around – maybe right in one afore mentioned open-air theatres.
Like most creative and entertainment industries, the performing scene has experienced considerable drawbacks due to closures and restrictions. Now that theatres are lifting even more rules, stages worldwide are offering a rich program for the summer as an option for tourists who happen to be in that city and for residents spending summer in town.
Before the season kicked off, Money.co.uk, the Uk-based price comparison website, compiled a list of theatres, ranking them for their iconicity, price value, and customer (online) reviews. As limited as lists can be, some interesting findings are worth the look. And they are both for the theatre lovers searching for the best show to enjoy or for the novices that do not want to spend too much on an experience that may not be to their liking but at the same time may eventually discover a new world of live entertainment. Or at least end up with a great photo of stunning places and surroundings.
The best theatres
According to a recent analysis, next to the internationally recognized Sidney Opera House or the Royal Albert Hall in London (ranked first and second among the “Most Instagrammable Theatres”) are less known places offering great money-value for their seats. Among the 50 theatres considered, the most affordable is the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City. The average price for a ticket here is around 110 Mexican Pesos (roughly 5 Euros). The Amazon Theatre in the Brazilian city of Manaus (5,2 Euros) follows.
The third place is a tie, occupied by the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires (also named among the top best opera house in the world by National Geographic) and the Shakespeare’s Globe in London (which needs no further introduction.) In both theatres, the average cost for a ticket is around 5,8 €. The cheapest stages in the EU, occupying respectively the 5th, 6th and 7th position globally, are the Estates Theater and the National Theater, both in Prague, and the Parisian Comédie-Française.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, the most expensive iconic stage is the Fox Theater in Detroit (USA), whit an average price of 115,90 US Dollars (around 111,15 Euro), followed by New York’s Radio City Music Hall (72,34 €) and La Fenice in Venice, Italy (71,15 €).
Money.co.uk’s analysis also lists the World’s Best Reviewed Theater compiled by the overall average scores obtained on Tripadvisor, Yelp, Google and Facebook. In 2022 the Metropolitan Opera House in NYC took the first position, scoring 4.89 out of 5. And both the Minack Theater, Penzance (UK) and the Teatro de Cristóbal Colón in Bogotá, with a score of 4.88 out of 5, are tied in second place.
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