The smell of greasepaint and the glare of the footlights…
January and the lull after Christmas is a great time to go to the theatre, for a pantomime with the whole family or a night watching the actors tread the boards at the theatre.
Musicals have always held a strong pull, and Spain – specifically Madrid - is perhaps a surprising host for some of the most famous musical productions in the world.
Gran Via at night for nightowls!
Where’s the show?…
You don’t have to stay in drizzly London or go long haul to Broadway to experience some of the best musical productions around.
Head to Madrid instead, the capital of Spain, and along with a great weekend and sampling the tapas and sights of this bustling city, book a night at the theatre and see a musical.
The Gran Via is your shopping Mecca during the daytime, but after a late night shopping book a couple of tickets and sing along witht he stars.
With seat prices from as little as €12,00 and rising all the way up to the best seats in the house at a whopping €125,00 you can go in style.
Theatre-land is situated all along the Gran Via - the main drag, no pun intended! – and some of the best venues there are nearby are:
- Tetro Principe
- Teatro Arenal
- Teatro Nuevo Apolo
- Teatro Haagen- Daz Calderón – wonder what they sell during the interval?!
- Teatro Nuevo Alcala
A night at Los Miserables
Showing tonight…
What can you expect to see? All the best and well known shows, including:
- Hair!
- The Lion King
- Chicago
- Shrek
- The Wizard of Oz
..and many more. Bringing in up to 250 million Euro per year this is a lucrative business for the capital city and boosts the tourist visiting figures substantially, both from outside of Spain and within the country. Incidentally, a large number of visitors are from the Canary Islands! In fact, the Sound of Music was premiered in Tenerife. There are also a large number of Spanish language productions, but with a musical it doesn’t really matter, you can sing along to your heart’s content!
After show entertainment
When the show is over, you won’t have to go far to continue with the night out on the town. Stay on Gran Via or any of the side street to sample the nightlife of Madrid. Choose little tapas bars for a cold Fino or a welcome beer and a bite of a tasty morsel or two, or try out one of the excellent restaurants. Remember, Madrileños like to eat quite late, so you won’t find this city putting on it’s pyjamas too early!
A quick bite after the show is over
Eat out and chat as late as you want, before strolling back to your city pad, try out this choice of Madrid holiday rentals in which to practice your best singing voice!
Flickr accreditation to : oriolsalvador
