Budapest Operetta Theatre

We went to The Nutcracker Hungarian ballet, and was really upset. We paid for the VIP, but get uncomfortable seats and didn't really see something. The bullet itself was... Meh. We got a champagne, that was nice. Not recommend.

The performance was absolutely fantastic! However, the only downside was the seating arrangement. We were seated in rows 2 and 3 on the first floor, and the space between the rows was extremely limited. My knees were practically touching the seat in front of me, leaving no room to move my legs during the two-hour performance. As a result, I experienced knee pain afterward.

Must visit to understand Hungarian culture and values.

We watched the Nutcracker which was a great show but somehow they tried to modernize it and included Spiderman and Venom in it.. but it took me a while to figure out it was them because the costumes were not so great unfortunately. When I watched it 4-5 years ago it was better. But still very nice.

There is one guaranteed address in the world for the Operetta. Nagymezo 17, Budapest. I visited on 24.02.2024 two performances (14:30 and 19:00) of Csardaskiralyno. I saw two amazing Sylvas Varescu - Diana Kiss and Monika Fischl. And I was a part of the fantastic audience. It will be my great pleasure to come back again. Most probably sooner than I expected, that means still in this season 2023/24. My second favourite (second Kalman - Marica grofno) will not be performed, so that my final choice will be either Maria fohadnagy or Az Orfeum magusa. My special thanks belong to Zsanett F., who helps me a lot to choose the proper performance. Finally just one comparison. Three weeks after Budapest I visited (also for the first time) the National Theatre in Prague. It is also the very nice building, but in Operettszinhaz I feel myself better.

Required payment for coat storage. I didn’t have to do that in Prague and Vienna.

The Operetta Theatre is fabulous. It is not the most ornate theater I have ever been in, but it is beautiful in a more understated manner. We had center floor seats ⅓ of the way back from the stage. The acoustics and view were wonderful. There is a small screen above the stage that gave brief subtitles in English of the stage dialog in English. We had excellent seats, but I'm not sure there is a bad seat in the theater. Be sure to share one of the soft pretzels served during intermission. They are delicious and large enough to share with a friend. There is no eating or drinking allowed in the seating area. The lobby displays were a fascinating peek into the theater's history.

Watched the ballet and opera from the cheap seats above the private boxes. Excellent performances! Highly recommended. However, highly restricted views if in second or third row above seat number 6. TV monitors are present for when the artists are out of view, but really not the same as watching live. Would definitely go again next time we are in Budapest.