I am hoping to see a couple of shows while I am in Prague later this month. I arrive late on 5/25 and leave on 5/29. I would like to do the blacklight theater and some sort of classical music concert or the ballet, I'm not picky as to which since I love it all. Would you recommend that I buy tickets before I go? Or would it be safe to get them once I arrive?
Black light you should have no problem, they are mainly for the tourists and there are several arouns,in 25 years of visiting Prague I have never felt the need to go to a black light show.
there are lots of tourist concerts around and most of them you can get tickets on the day.
the bigger theatres it is worth checking availability and maybe booking ahead.
http://www.bohemiaticket.cz/
this company will allow you to see what is available and book in advance if you need to do so.
Bohemiaticket is good for concerts as part of the booking process involves a seating plan so you choose exactly where you want to sit. Compare them with pragueticketoffice.com which can be cheaper but you can't choose the seat location.
A tip for watching Black Light Theatre. You normally cannot book seat places so its first come first served where you sit and my advice is don't sit at the front. Middle or back of the theatre gives a better view of the performance and the art of using black light. This is because if you sit too close to the front you'll see the outline of the black clothing worn by the performers and the colour contrast effect is not as good. So in this case back is best.
I'm going to go hi-brow on ya. I see that Don Giovanni is at the Estates Theater on May 28. Mozart himself conducted the premier at the exact same theater in 1787. With best seats costing equivalent of $55 US, its a can't-miss. Sung in Italian. Yes, they have English supertitles.
Bohemia Ticket is a reseller, who tack on their own fee to the ticket price. It's best to book directly with the theatre.
I saw Don Giovanni at the Estates during the great floods of 2002, the whole city was pretty quiet and I got box seats(box11 if I remember correctly) for 850 kc , given the exchange rate at the time it was about £15, my first full opera and an experience I wish I had experience 30 years before.Estates is an lovely little place.
Another vote for seeing Don Giovanni at the Estates--I went in 2015 and had a fabulous box seat for about $50 US--would have cost $300 easily at the SF opera and the theatre itself is just gorgeous. Plus, no way I could resist seeing it in the last remaining theatre that Mozart conducted in.
Thank you for the tips! You all convinced me to do Don Giovanni. I just bought my ticket. There were very few left for that performance, so I am glad it was suggested. I ended up with a box seat. I've never seen a show in a seat like that, so I was a little hesitant to buy a ticket that will force me to share this space with two people I don't know. The price couldn't be beat though, it was less than $20.
If I decide to do the black light theater or a concert, I will probably grab those tickets when I get there.
Rosemary--I travel solo and it wasn't at all uncomfortable sharing the box, which seated 5; one couple was from Japan and the wife and I had a good chat about opera, and we took turns shushing the couple who sat behind us and thought it was okay to TALK during the performance.
Christa, thank you for putting my mind at ease about sharing the box! Hopefully I don't have any talkers!
I was also solo in a box at the Estates Theater to see Don Giovanni. It was my first time seeing an opera and I benefitted greatly from the expertise of the Australian couple next to me who are basically professional opera goers. They travel the world seeing operas and before the show the wife was kind enough to explain to me different points of interest about operas and she would whisper to me when to clap/not clap etc. I was fully prepared to just mind my own business and sit quietly and not bother the people I sat with, but they ended up being very friendly and helpful. Hopefully your experience will be just as fun. I loved the show.
That sounds like such a nice experience Allie! I too am an opera novice, so I can definitely see how beneficial it would be to sit near people with such knowledge.