Comedy and theater shows in Amsterdam
Some days you just want to be entertained. Amsterdam is home to many theaters with music, ballet, comedy and other performances. Several of these theaters can be found in the Leidseplein area, but in Amsterdam every neighborhood has its own theatrical venue. So no matter what kind of show has your interest, there are always some performances scheduled that you will like. We from Meet The Cities have listed the top theaters, stand up comedian and other shows that can be found in Amsterdam. Many of these performances are in the English language.
The Dutch National Ballet
In 1961 the Nederlands Ballet and the Amsterdam Ballet merged and so The Dutch National Ballet was born. The ballet exists of around 80 fantastic dancers from all over the world and several of them have also performed in other famous ballet companies from the New York City Ballet to the Mariinsky Ballet in Saint Petersburg. The ballet productions and performances of the Dutch National Ballet belong to the highest international level. Interesting and very special is that most attributes like the wigs, decor pieces and costumes are made in their own workshop. Since 2013 there also is a Junior Company, where young talents are trained. In this way they can get access to participation in The National Ballet.
In the Stopera theatre, which houses the Dutch National Ballet, the Dutch National Opera and the City Hall of Amsterdam, a list of their current themes and performances is available. The theater has the capacity for 1600 people.
Tickets can usually be bought until the actual performance, except on Sundays and on holidays. When tickets for the Dutch National Ballet are sold out, then you might still have a chance to obtain two tickets. At the ticket office are numbers drawn one hour before curtain and then the unclaimed tickets are sold half an hour before curtain in order of the drawn numbers.
Boom Chicago
The Rozentheater opened in 1913 as a cinema, but several years later there also were given other types of shows, like variety shows. Nowadays performs the creative comedy group Boom Chicago in the main hall of the Rozentheater. A visit to Boom Chicago in the Rozentheater is a guarantee for an evening full of humor. The comedians are known for their improvisation techniques, current topics, use of technology and had even their own television show. Their shows are appealing for a wide range of people who visit the city of Amsterdam, because the performances at Boom Chicago are English spoken.
Comedy Café
The Comedy Cafe is founded in 1994 as a place where internationally famous comedians, upcoming artists, new talent and everything in between comes to perform. Currently they also have a fixed group of comedians. There are comedy shows performed in the Dutch and English language, so check first if there is a performance in the language that you prefer. Since January 2016 the Comedy Cafe is located in a new building with a view over the IJ river and it is now also possible to combine it with a dinner.
Stadsschouwburg Amsterdam
The Stadsschouwburg (municipal theatre) Amsterdam is a wonderful monumental theatre building with two halls and dates from 1894. Not only this fact makes a visit more than worthwhile but also their extensive range of national and international theatre plays, modern dance performances, music plays and drama. Every day there is a variety of different genres. A number of plays are being subtitled or performed in English. In most dancing shows there will be no language issue. In the lobby of the Stadsschouwburg houses lunchroom Stanislavski where you can enjoy lunch or dinner.
DeLaMar Theater
DeLaMar Theater is located in the heart of Amsterdam city center near the Leidseplein. The building was originally built in 1887 as a school. Nowadays it houses the impressive DeLaMar Theater and is known for its large musicals which are often also performed at Broadway. Besides the musicals the theatre offers music, dance, drama and cabaret. The theatre has two halls and are named after Mary Dresselhuys and Wim Sonneveld which were very important persons in the Dutch theatre history. These two halls have together a capacity of about 1.500 persons. We from Meet The Cities advise to take a look in the foyer at the photo collection with the theme “theatre”. Tickets are available at the theatre.
Royal Theater Carré
Koninklijk Theater Carré (Royal Theatre Carré) is located in majestic building in the Plantage area, which is in the city center of Amsterdam. In 1887 circus director and entrepreneur Oscar Carré opened the doors of his theatre at the Amstel. After its 100th birthday the theatre was allowed to call itself a “royal” theatre. Nowadays it is the most famous theatre in the Netherlands is mainly used for national and international musicals, drama, pop concerts, music- and cabaret performances and even the circus. The annual World Christmas Circus is one of their main events. The theatre has three restaurants and various foyers. Visitors can experience a complete night out with dinner before the show and a drink and a snack after the show. We from Meet The Cities will advise you to book your tickets well in advance. If you don’t feel like watching a show, but want to see the beautiful and luxury theatre it is possible to book a guided tour. There are shows and tours in the Dutch as well in the English language.
Theater Bellevue
Theater Bellevue is housed in a building on Leidsekade,which dates from around 1894. At that time it housed two societies: Concordia (only for men) and Bellevue (including for women and children). Nowadays the theatre has a three halls with the names: Grote Zaal, Klein Bellevue and Paloni Zaal. Besides their own productions there are also performances of existing companies and producers. The Grote Zaal mainly has a program with drama, musicals, dance, comedy, mime and (children’s) theatre. In Klein Bellevue new talent gets the chance to perform their shows and arts. In the Paloni Zaal are for over 25 years unique performances that are the length of a lunch break. It is also possible to have a lunch or dinner in their café restaurant De Smoeshaan.